QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY

DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, Quirino 3401

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE FORESTRY AND ENGINEERING

WEEK 15
Information
Sheet Utilitarianism
Competencies 1. Define utilitarianism and identify its origin and nature
2. Enumerate the basic application of utilitarianism

Discussion Utilitarianism

1. Origins and nature of theory

Utilitarianism, in normative ethics, a tradition stemming from the late 18th-

and 19th-century English philosophers and economists Jeremy Bentham and John
Stuart Mill according to which an action is right if it tends to promote happiness and
wrong if it tends to produce the reverse of happiness—not just the happiness of the
performer of the action but also that of everyone affected by it. Such a theory is in
opposition to egoism, the view that a person should pursue his own self-interest,
even at the expense of others, and to any ethical theory that regards some acts or
types of acts as right or wrong independently of their consequences. Utilitarianism
also differs from ethical theories that make the rightness or wrongness of an act
dependent upon the motive of the agent, for, according to the utilitarian, it is
possible for the right thing to be done from a bad motive. Utilitarians may, however,
distinguish the aptness of praising or blaming an agent from whether the act was
right.

The Nature of Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is an effort to provide an answer to the practical question
“What ought a person to do?” The answer is that a person ought to act so as to
produce the best consequences possible.

Basic Concepts
In the notion of consequences, the utilitarian includes all of the good and
bad produced by the act, whether arising after the act has been performed or
during its performance. If the difference in the consequences of alternative acts is
not great, some utilitarians do not regard the choice between them as a moral
issue. According to Mill, acts should be classified as morally right or wrong only if
the consequences are of such significance that a person would wish to see the
agent compelled, not merely persuaded and exhorted, to act in the preferred
manner.

In assessing the consequences of actions, utilitarianism relies upon some

theory of intrinsic value: something is held to be good in itself, apart from further
consequences, and all other values are believed to derive their worth from their
relation to this intrinsic good as a means to an end. Bentham and Mill were
hedonists; i.e., they analyzed happiness as a balance of pleasure over pain and
believed that these feelings alone are of intrinsic value and disvalue. Utilitarians
also assume that it is possible to compare the intrinsic values produced by two
alternative actions and to estimate which would have better consequences.
Bentham believed that a hedonic calculus is theoretically possible. A moralist, he
maintained, could sum up the units of pleasure and the units of pain for everyone
likely to be affected, immediately and in the future, and could take the balance as
a measure of the overall good or evil tendency of an action. Such precise
measurement as Bentham envisioned is perhaps not essential, but it is
nonetheless necessary for the utilitarian to make some interpersonal comparisons
of the values of the effects of alternative courses of action.

Methodologies
As a normative system providing a standard by which an individual ought

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The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

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 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, Quirino 3401

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE FORESTRY AND ENGINEERING

to act and by which the existing practices of society, including its moral code,
ought to be evaluated and improved, utilitarianism cannot be verified or confirmed
in the way in which a descriptive theory can, but it is not regarded by its
exponents as simply arbitrary. Bentham believed that only in terms of a utilitarian
interpretation do words such as “ought,” “right,” and “wrong” have meaning and
that, whenever anyone attempts to combat the principle of utility, he does so with
reasons drawn from the principle itself. Bentham and Mill both believed that
human actions are motivated entirely by pleasure and pain, and Mill saw that
motivation as a basis for the argument that, since happiness is the sole end of
human action, the promotion of happiness is the test by which to judge all human
conduct.

One of the leading utilitarians of the late 19th century, the Cambridge
philosopher Henry Sidgwick, rejected such theories of motivation as well as
Bentham’s theory of the meaning of moral terms and sought to support
utilitarianism by showing that it follows from systematic reflection on the morality
of “common sense.” Most of the requirements of common-sense morality, he
argued, could be based upon utilitarian considerations. In addition, he reasoned
that utilitarianism could solve the difficulties and perplexities that arise from the
vagueness and inconsistencies of common-sense doctrines.

Most opponents of utilitarianism have held that it has implications contrary

to their moral intuitions - considerations of utility, for example, might sometimes
sanction the breaking of a promise. Much of the defense of utilitarian ethics has
consisted in answering these objections, either by showing that utilitarianism
does not have the implications that its opponents claim it has or by arguing
against the opponents’ moral intuitions. Some utilitarians, however, have sought
to modify the utilitarian theory to account for the objections.

2. Business’s Fascination with Utilitarianism

According to the theory, an action is good if it is for the good of the greatest
number of people. It characteristically encourages individuals to act in whatever
ways they want as long as their actions lead them to the greatest levels of wellness.
The theory associates well-being with happiness. Therefore, an action is considered
good if it brings joy to the most significant number of people in society and vice
versa.

The theory of utilitarianism can be applied in business in many ways.

To begin with, business persons who wish to use this theory must first
understand its four components. The application of this theory can either be positive
or negative. The first element is consequentialism, which is the understanding that
the wrongness or rightness of actions is entirely determined by their actions (Mack
64; Suikkanen 1). Businesses can apply the concept of consequentialism in their
operations even though it may contradict the moral and ethical systems that are in
place. For instance, businesses that commit themselves to the principle of
consequentialism may encourage their employees to act as they wish as long as the
essential outcome will be to the benefit of the organization.

Every business focuses on making and increasing more profits as its primary
goal, which may lead them to use the means, which may be considered immoral,
unethical or illegal. For example, a business may manufacture and sell substandard
and unsafe products in their quest for more.

The second element that businesses require to apply utilitarianism is

welfarism. According to Eggleston (453), welfarism is the understanding that the

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”

 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
DIFFUN CAMPUS
Diffun, Quirino 3401

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE FORESTRY AND ENGINEERING

wrongness or rightness of operations depends on society’s conceptions of welfare or
wellbeing. This aspect of utilitarianism suggests that actions are good for the
greatest wellbeing of the society or many people. According to Sen (471), welfarism
aims at maximizing every individual’s utility. In business, the management may
decide to increase the wages and benefits of their employees if it improves the
wellbeing or promotes the happiness of their employees. In this regard, the business
will be positively applying utilitarianism when they can balance the principles of
pleasure and pain and how they can influence their performance.

The third element that businesses need to understand as to how the

principle of utility applies to their operations is individualism. The principle of
individualism in utilitarianism holds that every individual, as it is human nature,
pursues happiness, thus, will engage in actions that maximize utility. In this regard,
businesses will take actions that bring them happiness. Happiness for businesses
may include increased profits, increased customer satisfaction levels, superior
reputation, and improved employee satisfaction levels, among others. By ensuring
their employees are satisfied and happy at a personal standard, the business will
also be putting themselves on the path to success.

The fourth element required to apply utilitarianism in business is

aggregation, which is the notion that the wrongness or rightness of actions depends
on their ability to average the benefits brought to all individuals. Bentham’s
perspectives on utilitarianism suggest that the consequences of an action should
bring happiness not only to an individual but also the community around him or
her. A business applying this element should engage in activities that increase its
profits while at the same time serve the best interests of its customers, the
community, and the government. For example, by selling quality and safe products,
a business will be increasing its intrinsic value while meeting the needs of their
customers at the same time.

Back to the concepts of pain and suffering; the ethical position of

utilitarianism is that human beings should be happier and have less suffering.
However, this does not mean that everyone is a utilitarian because as a fundamental
rule, there basic moral standards that one should not break. Such rules guide
individuals on what will bring out the best consequences. However, the challenge
that utilitarianism poses to other views is whether the effects of disobeying and
breaking these moral rules would be worse or not. However, it should be stressed
that since utilitarianism changes people’s lives in many ways, the same can be
replicated in the businesses or companies that these people do or work for. It makes
people have the urge to be as effective as possible to change the world and make it a
better place. This concept is referred to as effective altruism whose supporters claim
to want to do the most good they can do. Most businesses consider this while
making their hiring decisions, hoping that their new employees would live to the
expectations by doing the best they can for the greater good of the business.

References https://www.britannica.com/topic/utilitarianism-philosophy
https://www.academicwritersbureau.com/samples/219-applying-utilitarianism-in-business

VISION MISSION
The leading center for academic and technological excellence Develop competent and morally upright professionals and generate
and prime catalyst for a progressive and sustainable Quirino appropriate knowledge and technologies to meet the needs of Quirino
Province and Southern Cagayan Valley. Province and Southern Cagayan Valley.

“Molding Minds, Shaping Future”