FIRST SEMESTER TOPICS: FINALS

•Utilitarianism
•Kant’s Deontology
•Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics
•Others….
UTILITARIANISM
MODULE 3
 Tasks
• Classical Version of the Theory
• 3 Propositions of Utilitarianism
• Proponents of Utilitarianism
• Jeremy Bentham: Act Utilitarianism
• John Stuart Mill: Rule Utilitarianism
• Activity (Google Classroom)
• Interactive Discussion/ Sharing
Utilitarianism:
Classical
Version of the
Theory
 Defining Terms
But what is this PLEASURE?

Utilitarianism
• 2 types of pleasure
• PHYSICAL PLEASURE: sensual
indulgence or bodily gratifications
• MENTAL PLEASURE: intellectual,
• Utilitarianism is a theory in Ethics
spiritual, and moral pleasures
by which actions are judged to be • Mental pleasure is the pursuit of
right or wrong solely according to Utilitarian Morality.
the consequences of an action.
• In moral assessment of actions:
• Actions are right if they promote According to Mill:
the greatest happiness to the • Happiness: means
greatest number; pleasure and the absence
• Actions are wrong if they produce of pain
unhappiness. • Unhappiness: pain and the
privation/lack of pleasure
THUS, IN UTILITARIAN PRINCIPLE, ACTIONS
ARE MORAL IF IT PRODUCES THE GREATEST
HAPPINESS TO THE GREATEST NUMBER OF
INDIVIDUALS.

GREATEST NUMBER: That is, the agent’s/doer’s

happiness must be sacrificed if it leads to the
achievement of the happiness of many.

Example:
A smart student is happy having difficult quizzes and fast-paced discussion; but
majority of his classmates find it challenging and ‘painful’ to have difficult quizzes and
fast-paced discussion. Hence, the smart student decided to sacrifice his happiness to
give way to his classmates’ happiness. In utilitarian concept, he did the most moral
act.
Who are the proponents of Utilitarianism?
What are their basic ideas?
What context led to the development of their
ideas?
FamilyID=Office_ArchiveTorn

Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832)

John Stuart Mill (1806–1873)
Henry Sidgwick (1838–1900)

Proponents of Utilitarianism
 Proponents of Utilitarianism
JEREMY BENTHAM JOHN STUART MILL

• They were both important theorists and social reformers

• 18th and 19th –century British philosophers, economists, and political thinkers
• Their theory has had a major impact both on philosophical work in moral
theory and on approaches to economic, political, and social policy.
• Consequentialism (The result of the action is all that matters)
• Reason-based (When deciding, reason counts value)
• Happiness is an important principle (It acts as the basis of an action’s morality )
 Proponents of Utilitarianism
JEREMY BENTHAM JOHN STUART MILL

“Happiness is simply the absence • We cannot measure the amount

of pain. This can be measured of pain/ pleasure that an act
through the utility calculus or produces.
hedonistic calculus.” “An act is morally right if it
[Happiness-Pain= Balance]
produces greatest happiness to
the greatest number of people and
(intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity, & is morally wrong if it produces
extent)
more pain than pleasure to the
greatest number of people
concerned.”

ACT UTILITARIANISM RULE UTILITARIANISM

 “Morality is not about pleasing
God, nor is about being faithful to “Better Socrates dissatisfied, than
abstract rules. Rather, morality is a fool satisfied; better a man
about making the world as happy dissatisfied, than a pig satisfied.”
as possible.”
PRODUCE THE
THE QUALITY OF
MOST HAPPINESS
HAPPINESS IS
AND LEAST MORE IMPORTANT.
UNHAPPINESS
(Quantity)
ACT UTILITARIANISM RULE UTILITARIANISM
ACT UTILITARIANISM RULE UTILITARIANISM
• Concerned with the • Concerned with the
quantity of happiness quality of happiness

• Assess each individual • People should follow

situation on its own and be guided by moral
merits with the aim of rules which in the past
promoting the greatest have shown to
happiness for those promote the greatest
involved. happiness of the
greatest number.
ACT UTILITARIANISM RULE UTILITARIANISM
• It is moral to kill • There is a moral rule that
somebody (maybe an killing people is a sin. If I
enemy/ somebody who will kill this person, I will
gratify my happiness, but
wronged you) because
I have violated the
it leads to the general moral rule and
happiness and security may earn myself more
of many people. enemies than friends. I
choose to obey the moral
rule.
 The Roots of Understanding the concept through

Utilitarianism
Historical Perspective
 THE REVOLUTION IN ETHICS
POST-
ANCIENT MODERN
MIDDLE AGE MODERN
ERA ERA
ERA
1945 – Present
1500- 1945
3000 BC- AD 650 1400- 1500
characterized by self
Morality is referentiality,
“Ethics is about Morality was closely epistemological
attached to the primarily focused relativism, moral
living a good and
teachings of the on the interests of relativism, pluralism,
virtuous life, that Catholic Church, good irony, irreverence, and
other people and
is, to become a and bad actions were eclecticism; it rejects
the idea of the "universal validity"
virtuous person.” defined by the
church. deontological of binary oppositions,
constraints. stable identity,
hierarchy, and
categorization
 • Renaissance
EVENTS DURING THE

• Protestant
MODERN ERA

Reformation
• American and
French
Revolution
• Industrial
Revolution
• World War
 The greatest happiness of the
greatest number is the foundation
of morals and legislation.
Jeremy Bentham,
COLLECTED WORKS (1843)

If such is the case, what then are specific principles

wherein we can say that an action is ethical/ moral?
 3 Principles of Utilitarianism

1. 2. 3.

The morality of an An action’s In the assessment

action depends consequences of consequences,
solely on the matter only each individual’s
consequences insofar as they happiness gets
of an action; involve the equal
nothing else greater or lesser consideration.
matters. happiness of
***The end justifies individuals.
the means.
 3 Principles of Utilitarianism
1.
The morality of an action depends
solely on the consequences of an
action; nothing else matters.
***The end justifies the means.
If the end of an act has promoted
the greatest amount of happiness
of the greatest number of people,
whatever means the act employes
is morally justified.
2. 3.
An action’s consequences matter In the assessment of consequences,
only insofar as they involve the each individual’s happiness gets
greater or lesser happiness of equal consideration.
individuals.
Pleasure/ happiness is the only IMPARTIALITY: Everyone get’s
thing that holds intrinsic value. equal value.
***In utilitarianism, intrinsic value ***The happiness of the poor is
is that which is good solely not lesser than the happiness of
because in utilitarianism, only the the rich.
end has value.
(it is not instrumental, because it is
not a means to an end, rather it is
the end in itself)
 Questions to
Ponder
•Do you think
Utilitarianism is
relevant in today’s
society?
The Relevance
of
Utilitarianism
In a Political Economy
• Because of the utilitarian
principle, most politicians
find a way to craft
economic policies to aid the
problem in societies where
many groups are
economically
disadvantaged.
• Example: 4Ps [Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino
Program; Livelihood Program]
In Business and Commerce
• Utilitarianism is used as the
moral framework to justify
war or military force
(Greatest number of
Happiness)
• Utilitarianism is used as an
approach to business ethics
to account for cost and
benefits (Is the projected
benefit more than the cost?)
In the Corporate Workplace
• Corporate Social Responsibility: People
put their trust to companies that give
back to the community (thus
produces more happiness)
• As individuals, one must make
decisions that increase the happiness
of his colleagues and decrease the
unhappiness.
• Justifies the claim for benefits of
workers.
 Critiques to
Classical
Utilitarianism
Are Consequences All That
Matter?
 In the case of Justice
• Utilitarianism posits that
CONSEQUENCES is all
that matters; it is so
important that it comes
above justice.

• An action (e.g. lying) is

moral even if such lie has
affected the innocent and
protected the unjust.
In the case of Moral Rights
• On utilitarianism, an individual's
rights may always be trampled
upon if enough people benefit
from the trampling.
• Utilitarianism is accused of
supporting the “tyranny of the
majority”
• Ex: It is okay to extract the
mineral resources of the
minority groups if it benefits the
majority.
Should we be equally concerned
for everyone?
In the case of Impartiality
• Impartiality calls for equal treatment
of all people; it forbids unequal
treatment to people without
proper/good reason.
• Thus, impartiality in utilitarianism
explains why unequal treatment is
wrong but it also justifies other
unequal treatment.
• [e.g. A difficult quiz was given to a
mixed group of students that is
dominated by smart students]
Student Activity
1.What are situations in the current
society wherein utilitarianism is
practiced? You can cite a personal
observation.[5 points]
2.Do you agree that utilitarianism is
relevant in the contemporary society?
[5 points]