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REPORTERS:
Basilio, Catherine Joyce M. & Fernandez, Trixia Axzel D.

LESSON 7: UTILITARIANISM: JOHN STUART

❖ Jeremy Bentham - founded utilitarianism.

❖ John Stuart Mill - developed and popularized utilitarianism.

➢ THE GREATEST HAPPINESS PRINCIPLE

Key Principle ⟹ Happiness - a utilitarian would not care whether an action is done out of decep-
tion, lie or manipulation as long as it produces maximum benefits to
many people.
Example:
⤷ Condemning a terrorist
For the utilitarian, condemning a terrorist is morally right because this action produces equal
benefits for greatest happiness to the greatest number of people concerned.
⤷ Robinhood steals properties from wealthy people and give them to the poor
In utilitarianism, Robinhood’s act is morally good because it produces maximum benefits, that is,
greatest happiness, to the majority of the people.

❖ Jeremy Bentham’s Model of Utilitarianism

⤷ Happiness is simply the absence of pain.
⤷ 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.

➢ JOHN STUART MILL 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.
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➢ REPLIES TO MORAL OBJECTIONS

❖ To the objection that happiness is unattainable
⤷ Objectors says that:
- Happiness is unattainable because of different circumstances such as poverty, disease, and failure
that hinder one’s attempt at being happy.
⤷ John Stuart Mill replied:
- Pleasure can only last in a certain period. His theory of happiness doesn't describe a life of joy but
rather a life with a few short-lived pains and different pleasures that clearly outweigh the pains.

❖ To the objection that Utilitarian morality is incompatible with self-sacrifice

⤷ Objectors says that:
- Self-sacrifices are not being valued.
⤷ John Stuart Mill replied:
- A sacrifice is worthy if it leads to results that help more than just the person making the sacrifice.

❖ To the objection that social concern is a rare motive for action

⤷ Objectors says that:
- Whether people really think about society when they make decisions.
⤷ John Stuart Mill replied:
- There is a difference between the reasons someone does something and the results of that action.

➢ FAMOUS UTILITARIAN CLAIM

“An act is morally right if it produces greatest happiness to the greatest number of people and it is
morally wrong if it produces more pain than pleasure to the greatest number of people concerned.”

➢ ACT AND RULE OF UTILITARIANISM

❖ Act Utilitarianism (What possible good or evil results of that action?)
⇨ 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 (Is there a rule or law about that action?)

⇨ 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.

Example:
⤷ Condemning a terrorist
⤷ Robinhood steals properties
from wealthy people and
give them to the poor
PHILO-notes. “What Is Utilitarianism? Utilitarian Ethics?” Www.youtube.com, 19 Jan. 2020,
youtu.be/01Y1zVGv9h0?si=qYntBRdmzuexL6GG. Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.
Act Utilitarian
The good result of this action
gives happiness to the majority of
the people, so this action is morally
good even it resulted evil for the
terrorist in a way that condemning
someone is wrong.
The good result of this action
is that those properties that
Robinhood stolen from the wealthy
people benefits the poor people, so
this action is morally good even it
resulted evil for the wealthy people
in a way that the wealthy also worked
hard to earn those properties.
REFERENCES:
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Rule Utilitarian
There is a law about con-
demning someone is
morally wrong according
to the divine law, but this
action is still morally
good since it resulted
happiness to many people.
One of the divine law
states that stealing is mo-
rally wrong, same with the
human law, hence this
action is still morally good
as it resulted happiness
to many poor people.