Utilitarianism

Balloguing, Maridel M.
GEC 6, Ethics
 Utilitarianism

Utility – An act is
good or morally
right if it promotes
happiness, and
bad or immoral if it
Jeremy Bentham – founded John Stuart Mill – developed
the Philosophy of
tends to produce and popularized the
Utilitarianism. pain. Philosophy of Utilitarianism
Key Principle

HAPPINESS
Jeremy Bentham’s Model of
Utilitarianism
Happiness is simply the absence of pain
Introduced the “Felicific Calculus”
Measures the degree of happiness or pleasure
that a specific action may produce
Also called utility calculus or hedonistic
calculus
It includes intensity, duration, certainty,
propinquity, fecundity, purity, and extent.
 Felicific Calculus Formula
HAPPINESS PAIN

MORALLY
RIGHT HAPPINESS
BALANCE
MORALLY
WRONG PAIN
John Stuart Mill’s Model of
Utilitarianism
Mill disagrees with Bentham
We cannot calculate the amount of
pleasure or pain that an act produces.
Basis of Morality:
The majority of the people that attains
happiness.
Act Utilitarianism
Utilitarian principle should be applied to a particular act
in a particular situation or circumstance.
The basis of the morality of an action is the ACT itself.

Rule Utilitarianism
The principle at issue should be used to test moral
rules, and then such rules can be utilized in judging
what is right and wrong under the circumstance.
An act is morally right if it conforms to a justified Moral
Rule.