Ethics of Utilitarianism

A CONSEQUENTALIST MORALITY
 This belongs to a theory in morality that can be labeled as
consequentialist.
 Consequentialist is when primary consideration and emphasis on
the effects or results that an act or conduct brings rather than on
the motive or intention that the agent may have.
 Unlike natural law ethics, utilitarianism disregards the act itself
as the basis of morality.
 In assessing what is good or bad, a consequentialist looks into the
outcome of the act or conduct. What matters is the result.
 This theory believes that actions are morally significant and
valuable only inasmuch as they produce what is desired or
expected.
 MORALITY HAS ONLY AN INSTRUMENTAL VALUE.
ETHICAL HEDONISM
 Emphasis
on the pleasure and happiness or
contentment
 Painand suffering should be avoided when
one is thinking of something.
 Rightand wrong are dependent on the
pleasure or pain that will bring or result to.
 PLEASURE IS GOOD, PAIN IS BAD
PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY
 Utilityis usually equated with pleasure or
happiness, which utilitarians consider as the only
objective moral standard.
 Further, utility refers to the fact that something
serves some purpose or function.
 Actions are useful because they can be utilized to
attain certain goals or purposes or function.
 Utilitarianismas expounded by Mill and Bentham,
aims at consequences which are good that
everybody wants and this happiness or pleasure,
known as “happiness theory”.
GREATEST GOOD FOR THE GREATEST
NUMBER
 EMPHASIS ON SOCIAL DIMENSION