UTILITARIAN ETHICS 1.

Recognize the role of pain and pleasure

in human life
Jeremy Bentham
2. Approves or disapproves an Action on
 Father of Utilitarianism the basis of pain and pleasure broad by
consequence
Similar to Hedonism, both center on pleasure as 3. equates the good with the pleasure and
the good evil with pain
The result of an act is the real measure of what 4.
is good and bad.

Nature of Utilitarian Ethics

4 THESES OF UTILITARIANISM
1. Consequentialism
 rightness of actions determined solely
by consequence
2. Hedonism
 Pleasure/ happiness is the good that we
seek and should seek BENTHAM’S CALCULUS OF FELICITY
3. Maximalism 1. Intensity
 Right action produce the greatest good 2. Duration
consequences and the least bad 3. Certainty
4. Universalism 4. Propinwuty
 Consequences to be considered ares 5. Fecundity
those of everyone affected and 6. Purity
everyone equally. 7. Extent

BENTHAM’S FORMULATION OF UTILITARIANISM

 Man is under two great masters, (pain

& pleasure)
 The great good that we should seek is
happiness.
 Actions whose results

2 FORMULATIONS OF UTILITARIAN THEORY

- Theory of oral philosophy that is based
1.
on the principle hat an action is morally
right if it produced greater quantity of
good or happiness than any other
possible action

PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY
2.