MEMBERS:

Anonuevo, Balasoto Espiritu,

Rosette Irenemae Kate Aubrey
 MEMBERS:

Nunez, Banaag, Landerito

Anathalia M. Marinelle Ars Joy
NSMIATIARIULIT
UTILITARIANISM
SSESSBSUI
NFNIIOSTACA
BUSINESSES
FASCINATION
 CTA
NSMIATIARIULIT
 ACT
UTILITARIANISM
 LREU
NSMIATIARIULIT
 RULE
UTILITARIANISM
 SUTJCEI
NDA SNSIRAFE
 JUSTICE
AND FAIRNESS
ISDRITUBVEIT
ONRMS
DISTRIBUTIVE
NORMS
TSILATIPAC
CAPITALIST
NOITAXAT
TAXATION
EVITUBIRTSID
ECITSUJ
DISTRIBUTIVE
JUSTICE
LAICOS
ECITSUJ
SOCIAL
JUSTICE
 LESSON IV:
UTILITARIANISM
 Jeremy Bentham (1746-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1808-73) are
British philosophers who had immense impact on British thought.
Bentham was the head of a group of reformers called "the
philosophical radicals,” whose members included James Mill and his
son, John Stuart Mill. Bentham and the younger Mill are considered
the main proponents of the moral theory called Utilitarianism.

Jeremy Bentham John Stuart Mill

 Utilitarianism Explained
A teleological ethical system judges the rightness of an act
in terms of an external goal or purpose. Its basis in the
determination of what one ought (or ought not to do rests
exclusively on the consequences of the act, not the nature of
the act nor the traditional moral rules.

Consequentialist ethics proposes that actions, rules, or

policies should be ethically measured and evaluated by their
consequences, not by the intentions or motives of the agent.
 Utilitarianism
Is the most influential consequentialist theory. Derived
from the Latin term “utilis”, which means ‘useful’.

It is a theory of moral philosophy that is based on the

principle that an action is morally right if it produces a
greater quantity of good or happiness than any other
possible action.

Greatest happiness for the greatest number.

 Hypothetically, you are a doctor and have only five doses of
vaccine; you also have five patients. Four of your patients are
ill and only need one dose of vaccine each to survive.
However, you have one patient who is severely ill, and he
needs five doses of vaccines. From a utilitarian perspective
How would you address that problem? What will be your
remedies or solutions to that problem?
THE 2 PRINCIPLES
OF UTILITY
 1. Act Utilitarianism
Focuses on each individual action we decide to perform

Says that we should choose to the one action that will

produce the greatest amount of happiness for the
greatest number at a given time

Bentham tends to favor this view, as opposed to Mill

who is more of a rule utilitarian.
 2. Rule Utilitarianism
Focuses on the type of action to be performed.

An action should only be chosen if it falls under a rule, e.g.

"Don't steal," "Be charitable," "Save innocent life," "Don't
cheat," etc.

The rule is justified because in the long run it is believed

that following the rule will produce better consequences
than not doing so would.

Mill seems to prefer this.

APPLICATION OF UTILITARIAN THEORY
If you can use 80 soldiers to deploy in war, and
thereby attack the enemy force that threatens the
entire place and kill several hundred enemy
soldiers, that is a morally good choice even though
the 80 might be killed.
THE ORIGIN AND
NATURE OF THE
THEORY
 BENTHAM’S
UTILITARIANISM
 Bentham explain that ‘utility’ means that property in
any object, whereby it tends to produce benefit,
advantage, pleasure, good, or happiness.
The principle of utility thus states that an action is right
insofar as it tends to produce the greatest happiness
for the greatest number.
Bentham observes that people act in their own interest.
For him, this should be understood in terms of pleasure
and pain. Bentham wrote that pleasure and pain are
‘two sovereign masters’ under which nature has placed
mankind.
Four sanctions or source of pleasure
the physical
the moral
the religous
the political source
Hedonic calculus- to calculate the quantitaive worth of pleasures.

This are tha seven criteria or ingredients that allow one to quantify
tha amount of pleasure or pain an action brings
1. intensity
2. duration
3. certainty
4. propinquity
5. fecundity
6. purity
7. extent
 MILL’S
UTILITARIANISM
 Like Bentham, he advocates ‘the greatest happiness
principle’ which states that it is the greatest happiness
of the greatest number that is the measure of right and
wrong.

Mill differs fundamentally from Bentham on two central

aspects. First, Mill reject the purely quantitative
treatment of the principle of utility; second, he
introduce the so-called ‘secondary principles’ which
set the tone for a contemporary variant form of the
theory called rule utilitarianism.
 -Physical pleasure belong to the lower pleasures or
those which animals, too, can experience, such as
those from food, drink, and sex.

“Its is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig

satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool
satisfied.”

-By higher pleasures, Mill basically means intellectual.

 For Mill, a happiness that is made up principally of
higher pleasures is a higher, deeper, truer, and more
valuable form of happiness. Mill thus denies the limited
identification of the term ‘happiness’ with ‘physical
pleasure and the absence of pain’ and the concept ‘
unhappiness’ with ‘pain and the absence of bodily
pleasure’. In ethics, Mill purports that ‘happiness’ and
‘unhappiness’ are the basis for good and evil. While
‘pleasure’ and ‘pain’ are significant matters, they are
only tha basic minimum.
As regards Mill’s ‘secondary principles’, he believes that
past experiences teach us which kinds of action
promote happiness and which do not. These principles,
which are based on the theory of human experinece,
would save us form doing taxing ulititarian calculations
every time we act. Secondary principles serve as a
practical rules, giving knowledge about the tendencies
of actions when no better information is available. This
does not mean however that actions are justified by
these practical rules-it’s the consequences manifested
in past experience which validate them.
AN ANALYSIS OF
UTILITARIANISM
Utilitarianism appears to be a direct negative reaction
against Kantian ethics.
While Kant proposes that an act is justified by the person's
motive to perform his duty, Bentham and Mill counteract this
by submitting that actions are evaluated through their
consequences.
Utilitarianism also allows for exceptions to the rule if justified
by the consequences. Take the case of lying to protect
another from sure danger.
 BUSINESS’S
FASCINATION
WITH
UTILITARIANISM
In business contexts, utilitarianism implies an obligation for
businesses to do what they can to act in a way that
maximizes happiness and minimizes suffering.

Businesses are often fascinated with utilitarianism because it

provides a clear framework for decision-making that takes
into account the impact of their actions on all stakeholders.
AN EVALUATION OF
RAWL'S PRINCIPLE
 JOHN RAWL'S JUSTICE AS FAIRNESS IS
OFTEN CALLED RAWISIAN EGALITARIANISM
WHICH IS A BELIEF THAT EVERYONE SHOULD
BE GIVEN, AT ALL COSTS, COMPLETELY EQUAL
QUANTITY OF BASIC MATERIAL GOODS SUCH
AS MONEY.
CRITICISMS TOWARDS
RAWL'S PRINCIPLE
▪️RAWL'S JUSTICE AS FAIRNESS PRINCIPLE DO
NOT ALLOW AMPLE TOLERANCE FOR VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS AND INTENSELY HELD BELIEFS
WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS AN ACTUAL
RELIGION THAT CONTRADICTS TO HIS BELIEF.
▪️ RAWL'S DIFFERENCE THEORY STATES THAT THE
GREATEST BENEFIT MUST GO TO THE LEAST ADVANTAGED
OR LESS FORTUNATE PEOPLE, THAT BECAME
CONTROVERSIAL BECAUSE OF CRITICS STATING THAT IT
IS UNJUST TO GET FROM THE MOST ADVANTAGED PEOPLE
WHAT THEY HAVE EARNED AND REDISTRIBUTE IT FOR THE
BENEFIT OF THE LESS FORTUNATE.
DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE
 RAWL'S JUSTICE AS FAIRNESS IS
CONCERNED ABOUT NATURE OF
SOCIALLY JUST ALLOCATION OF
GOODS IN THE SOCIETY. IT IS A
DISTRIBUTION OF JUSTICE FOR ALL.
 PEOPLE USUALLY TURN TO DISTRIBUTIVE
NORMS OF THEIR GROUP OR TO
SOMETHING THAT THEY BELIEVE IS RIGHT
IN ORDER TO DETERMINE IF DISTRIBUTIVE
JUSTICE HAVE OCCURED.
 COMMON TYPES OF
DISTRIBUTIVE NORMS
1. Equity - member outcome
should be based upon their input.
2. Equality - regardless of their
inputs, all members should be
given an equal share of
reward/cost.
Reasinanuliry
3. Power - those with more
authority, status or control over
the group should receive more
than those in lower level
positions.
4. Needs - those in greatest
needs should be provided
with resources needed to
Lorem ipsum dolor sit
amet, consectetur
adipiscing elit. Sed
meet those need.
non orci hendrerit
augue interdum
lacinia at egestas
dolor. Vivamus
elementum pulvinar
tempus.
5. Responsibility - group
members who have the most
should share their
resources who have less.
 JOHN RAWL'S THEORY OF JUSTICE EXHIBITS A SIMPLER
IDEA CONCERNING HOW DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE IS DONE TO
COMPENSATE PERSONS FOR MISFORTUNE. NOT EVERYONE IS
BORN TO BE FORTUNATE THEREFORE RAWL REVISED THE
DISTRIBUTIONS OF GOODS AND EVIL BY DEMANDING THAT
THE LUCKY ONES SHOULD ALLOCATE SOME OR ALL OF THEIR
GAINS DUE TO LUCK TO THE UNLUCKY.
LESSON V:

JUSTICE AND
FAIRNESS
WHO IS JOHN RAWLS?
American political philosopher Rawls ( 1921-2002) the most
important political philosopher of the 20th century .

His most popular work was the

1971 book a Theory of Justice

He argues that utilitarian thinking

cannot absolutely exclude systems
such as slavery or racial
segregation as there is nothing in
the moral theory to dismiss them
from consideration.
Rawls is said to somewhat used the
elements of both Kantian and utilitarian
philosophy in describing a method for the
moral evaluation of social and political
institutions.

He called his concept of social justice

'Justice as Fairness' which consists of
two principles.
 1.1 Rawls' Two Principles
Liberty Principle~ concerns political institutions
("John Rawls and His Theory of Justice," n.d.):

"Each person has the same and indefeasible [permanent]

claim to a fully adequate scheme of equal basic
liberties, which scheme is compatible with the same
scheme of liberties for all."
Rawls gave as examples most of the liberties
in the U.S. Bill of Rights, such as freedom of
speech and due process of law.

He nonetheless added some liberties from the

larger sphere of human rights such as
freedom of travel.

Rawls also recognized the right of private

persons, corporations, or workers to own
private property.
 1.1 Rawls' Two Principles
Second Principle of social justice- consisted of 'fair
equality of opportunity' and 'the Difference Principle'
concerns social and economic institutions ("John Rawls and
His Theory of Justice," n.d.):

"Social and economic inequalities are to satisfy two

conditions (1) first, they are to be attached to offices and
positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of
opportunity; and (2) second, they are to to the greatest
benefit of the least-advantaged members of society (the
'Difference Principle)."
1.first, they are to be attached to offices and positions open
to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity

2.they are to to the greatest benefit of the least-

advantaged members of society (the 'Difference Principle)
Second Principle recognizes that a society could not avoid
inequalities among its people. In real world, inequalities result
from things such as a person's inherited characteristics,
social class, personal motivation, and even 'luck! Even so,
Rawls maintained that a just society ought to find ways to
lessen inequalities in areas where it can function.

Rawls proposed that these jobs must be 'open' to everybody

by the society granting fair equality of opportunity. For this
purpose, society should, among other things, eradicate
discrimination and afford everybody easy access to
education.
 1.2 The 'Thought Experiment
The 'thought experiment was not a real assembly of
real people, negotiating over a contract. Instead,
it was just an imagined gathering held under strict
conditions that allowed persons to deliberate, only
by employing their reason and logic. Their mission
was to assess principles of social justice and
select the best ones. Their decision would be
compulsory on their society forever.
 SOCIAL CONTRACT
Rawls revived the concept of 'social contract' developed by
philosophers like John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Locke and Rousseau had theorized that people in the distant
past had fashioned a social contract between themselves and
their leader

The contract encompassed that people would obey their

leader, typically a king, and he would assure their natural
rights. Believed to be the foundation of a just society,
this social contract concept was subscribed to by Thomas
Jefferson in writing the Declaration of Independence.
 CAPITALIST
SOCIALIST
TAXATION AND
INCLUSIVE GROWTH
 Capitalist
wealthy person who uses money
to invest in trade and industry
for profit in accordance with the
principles of capitalism.
 Laissez-faire capitalist distributive justice is when people,
businesses, and corporations perform based on their
individual self-interest for their own benefit.

For Rawls, pure laissez-faire capitalism is also unjust, because

it tends to generate an unfair distribution of wealth and
income concentrated in the hands of a few, which, in turn and
in effect deprives some if not most citizens of the basic means
essential to compete fairly for desired benefits, offices, and
positions.
 Socialist State
socialist distributive justice is a system where the government or a
central authority controls the production of goods and services. From
1918 to 1989, the former Soviet Union practised this state socialism.
India also illustrated this system from independence from the British
from 1947 to the 1990s.

Perhaps a better version of a socialist distributive justice is that of

democratic socialism. Also called welfare democracy, democratic
socialism distributive justice has a system of social insurance to help
disadvantaged persons. The system incorporates free-market principles
in producing goods and services with general principles about compassion
and concern for others.
 Taxation and Inclusive Growth.
Taxation is a means by which the state and citizens
accomplish their responsibilities to each other. By
definition, taxation is a means by which states or
governments finance their expenditure, basically and
ideally constituents, by imposing charges on them and
corporate entities. Government expenditures
fundamentally involve social welfare programs for
citizens.
 Taxation and social welfare programs are
related to another concept called inclusive
growth. Inclusive growth is "economic growth
that creates opportunity for all segments of the
population and distributes the dividends of
increased prosperity, both in monetary and
non-monetary terms, fairly across society
(inclusive Growth)
Thank you for listening!