=Utilitarianism= and that people never desire anything but

happiness.
- Utilitarianism is one of the most powerful and –Mills explains at length that the sentiment of justice
persuasive approaches to normative ethics in the is actually based on utility and the rights exist only
history of Philosophy. because they are necessary for human happiness.

 Utilitarianism is generally held to be the view
that the morally right action is the action that
produces the most good.
 The theory is a form of consequentialism: the
right action is understood entirely in terms of
consequences produced.
Utilitarianism and its criticism
1. Many people find it difficult to believe that you
can qualify happiness and even more difficult to
believe that you can compare different people’s
level of happiness.
2. We can make rough estimates in real life that
work out for us- we know when someone is
behaving sadder than someone else or are behaving
happier than others.
1. Some forms of utilitarian consider the pleasure of
a sadist is equal to the pleasure of an altruist.
2. Sadism results in short term pleasure but in the
long run results long term suffering and pain.
Altruistic actions on the hand result in long and short
term pleasure and satisfaction.
1. Some people disagree with the idea that
utilitarianism does not consider the motive of
actions (except for motive utilitarianism) and only
consider the consequences.
2. An argument back to this is that as long as the
person who is known to have had bad intensions is
dealt with appropriately, the consequences for the
world remains useful- regardless of how it
happened.
A.Utilitarianism and other concepts, theories etc.
according to Bentham
-Philosphical pleasure:
Jeremy Bentham (1748- 1832) was an English
Philosopher who sought to reform society and social
thought. He subscribed to utilitarianism and the idea
that people’s actions should be based on how much
pleasure they experience.
–one’s actions should be determined by how much
pleasure or pain is experienced from that action and
that the determination of this can be done via the
hedonic calculus method.
–Betham believed in the goodness of pleasure and
the less pain involved, the more pleasure one will
experience
3. Comparison of Utilitarianism
Both that the moral value of an act was determined
by the pleasure it produced.
 Bentham considered only quantity of pleasure.
 Mill considered both quantity and quality of
pleasure.
-Bentham’s utilitarianism was criticized for being a
philosophy “worthy of only swine”.
 Bentham’s theory was act utilitarianism
 Mill’s was rule utilitarianism.
What are the diff between the theories of Mill and
Bentham.
1. Qualitative distinctions in tendencies:
-Bentham does not admit any difference in
tendencies but Mill classified human tendencies and
by virtue of qualitative difference called some noble
and others base. In this way, he said that intellectual
tendencies are far superior to physiological
tendencies.
2. Qualitative distinctions in pleasure:
-In the same way, Mill made qualitative distinctions
in different pleasures. According to Bentham, all
pleasures are similar. If the quantity of pleasure be
the same, then there is no difference between
poetry and pushpin
The Hedonistic Calculus :
-Bentham’s method of estimating pleasures and
pains can be applied to egoistic hedonism.
-Bentham believed the right act is the act which of
all those open to the agent, will actually or probably
produce the greatest amount of pleasure in the
world-at-large. Pleasure and pain form the basis
standard of the standard of right and wrong.
The variables of Hedonistic Calculus:
1. Intensity- How intense is the pleasure or pain?
2. Duration- How long does the pleasure of pain last?
3. Certainty- What probability that the pleasure or
pain will occur.
4. Propinquity – How far off in the future is the
pleasure or pain?
5. Fecundity- What is probability that the pleasure
will lead to other pleasure.
6 . Purity- What is the probability that the pain will
lead to other pains?
7. Extent- How many persons are affected by the
pleasure?

B. Utilitarian according to Mill

-John Stuart Mill (1806- 1873) was an English
philosopher and economist.
–Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill- is an essay
written to provide support for the value of
utilitarianism as a moral theory and to respond to PREPARED BY : KHRIS MATT P. ROJAS
misconception about it.
–Mill argues that utilitarianism coincides “natural” OBTEC M 1-6
sentiments that originated from humans’ social
nature. Therefore, if society were to embrace
utilitarianism as an ethic, people would naturally
internalize these standards as morally binding.
–he argues that happiness is sole basis of morality,