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MATTHEW RAECEL JOHN MARYBELLE CHESKA ISABEL KATRINA BIANCA

ACEDERA ANORE BUTAL BARRIENTOS REYES
UTILITARIANISM
Group 7
 “The creed which accepts as the foundation of
morals, Utility, or the greatest-Happiness Principle,
holds that action are right in proportion as they tent
to promote happiness.
By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence
of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of
pleasure.”

-John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (1863) Ch. 2

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 Learning Outcomes:
Students are expected to demonstrate the following at the end of this unit:

1. Understand and define utilitarianism.

2. Appreciate the value of utilitarianism.
3. Assess when use it; and
4. Apply utilitarianism.

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Story: War on Drugs
 Origins and Nature of the Theory

According to the English folklore, there

was an outlaw named Robin Hood of
Loxley. The story of Robin Hood
romanticizes the idea of an outlaw who
steals not for himself but for other. And he
usually steals from the rich people who
have been abusive of the poor people.
This, in effect makes him a hero.

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 introduction
At Contoso, we empower organizations to
foster collaborative thinking to further drive
workplace innovation. By closing the loop and
leveraging agile frameworks, we help business
grow organically and foster a consumer-first
mindset.​

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 Utilitarianism
 Utilitarianism states that an action is right if it
produces the greatest good (happiness) for the greatest
number of people.
 Utilitarianism is a theory of morality that advocates
actions that foster happiness or pleasure and oppose
actions that cause unhappiness or harm. When directed
toward making social, economic, or political decisions,
a utilitarian philosophy would aim for the betterment
of society as a whole.

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 TWO TYPES OF UTILITARIANISM
1. ACT-UTILITARIANISM
 An act is right if and only if it results in as much good as any available.
 Looks at the consequences of a particular ACT
 If the greatest happiness for greatest number of people occurs then that act is RIGHT.
2. RULE UTILITARIANISM
 Decide on rules, which are likely to lead to pleasure for greatest number.
 An act is right if it conforms to a valid rule within a system of rules whose acceptance leads to greater
utility for society.
 We do not always choose the higher pleasure (of the mind) over the lower pleasure (of the body.)
 E.g., you may cheat on the husband, whom you love, for a handsome lover.
 Mill said that having a noble character lead to the world's greater happiness. But this only works if people
become noble.

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 JEREMY BENTHAM (1748-1832)
 He invented a theory for measuring pain and pleasure that
he called the hedonic calculus.
 According to Bentham, one should maximize pleasure and
minimize suffering.
 Act utilitarian
 Concerned with quantity of happiness
 Renowned for his "Introduction to the Principles of Morals
and Legislation"
 Gained a critical following for his doctrine of utilitarianism
 Social reform e.g., Prison reform
“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign
masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we
ought to do, as well as determine what we shall do.”
-Bentham

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 Seven Variables as the Factors to be considered in Hedonistic
Calculus

1. Intensity ( how strong is the pleasure?)

2. Duration ( how long does the pressure last?)
3. Certainty ( how is one assured of the pleasure?)
4. Proximity ( how soon will pleasure be experienced?)
5. Fecundity { how many times will pleasure be repeated?)
6. Purity ( will there be pain?)
7. Extent ( how many people will experience the pleasure?)

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 Base of Utilitarian Beliefs (Bentham)

 Pain and pleasure are basic sensations that direct our actions.

 Morality consists in seeking out happiness and avoiding pain.

 This is true of both individuals and governments.

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 PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY
 We will seek that object which increases our happiness more than the object can diminish it.
 Anything consistent with the principle of utility (pursuit of happiness) is either good, should
be done, or right.

THE COMMON GOOD

 “The greatest good for the greatest number”

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 JOHN STUART MILL (1806-1873)
• Mill wanted to distinguish happiness from mere
pleasure.
• He defined happiness in terms of a higher order of
pleasures or satisfactions.

• Concerned with quality of happiness.

• Rule Utilitarian
"It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied;
better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the
fool, or the pig, are of a different opinion, it is because they only
know their own side of the question. The other party to the
comparison knows both sides."
-Mill

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 ADVANTAGES OF
UTILITARIANISM
• We get to focus on happiness as a society.
• It teaches us that harming other people is wrong.
• Utilitarianism is an easy theory to implement.
• It is a secular system that focuses on humanity.
• Utilitarianism seeks to create the highest good.
• It focuses on the democratic process for forward
movement.
• We get to focus on an objective, universal solution.
DISADVANTAGES OF
UTILITARIANISM
• We do not consider any other element besides
happiness.
• It creates an unrealistic perspective for society.
• Utilitarianism can be unpredictable.
• It also relies on people making consistent decisions.
• Utilitarianism relies on multiple definitions of
happiness.
• It creates the potential for the majority to rule
through tyranny.

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 THREE GENERALLY ACCEPTED PRINCIPLES OF
UTILITARIANISM
1. Pleasure, or happiness, is the only thing that has intrinsic value.
• To say that something has intrinsic value means that it is simply good in itself. Intrinsic value contrasts with instrumental
value. Something has instrumental value when it is a means to some end.
2. Actions are right if they promote happiness, and wrong if they promote unhappiness.

• This principle is quite controversial, since it involves that the moral quality of an action is decided by the size of its
consequences. So long as an action produces maximum benefits for the greatest number of people, utilitarianism does not
care whether the results are driven by immoral motives. However, this principle can be refuted since most people would
agree that the moral quality of an action depends on the motive or intention behind it.

3. Everyone's happiness counts equally.

• Although this axiom may seem quite obvious, this principle of equality was radical and progressive in Bentham's time. By
then, it was commonly accepted that some lives and some people's happiness were simply more important and valuable than
others. Bentham's principle of equality makes the government responsible for creating policies that would benefit all
equally, not just the elite.

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 UTILITARIANISM IN BUSINESS: BALANCING PROFIT AND
COST

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 In the movie, The Avengers,
Infinity War. The Antagonist,
Thanos wanted to rule the
world in order to create
balance that will ultimately
save the world. However, in
doing so, he will kill half of
the world’s population. Will
you side with the avengers to
stop him, or will you let him
do his plan?

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 CONCLUSION
Utilitarianism helps us to make ethical decisions that will not only benefit ourselves but ethical
decisions with consequences that concern a lot or group of people. It also helps us to know whether
our decisions will have a big or small effect on others that will be produced by our actions.
Utilitarianism also believes that the purpose of morality is to make our life better by increasing
the amount of good things in the world and decreasing the amount of bad things. But as what
utilitarian's believed they are wrong in one thing they focus too much on the possible outcome
without thinking what would be the best possible actions to attain pleasure and happiness.
What matters most for utilitarianism is bringing about the best consequences for the world. This
involves improving the well-being of all individuals, regardless of their gender, race, species, and
their geographical or temporal location. Against this background, three key concerns for
utilitarianism are helping the global poor, improving farmed animal welfare, and ensuring that the
future goes well over the long term. Furthermore, utilitarianism is unusually demanding: it may
require us to make benefiting others the main focus of our lives.

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thank you
mirjam nilsson
mirjam@contoso.com
www.contoso.com