THC 221

PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT & APPLIED
ETHICS

UTILITARIANI
SM Group 1
Alupit, Ronnie

Delalamon, Shane Twinkle

Edil, Karen Jean
Flores, Ynah Millen
Villagracia, Erica Lenn
 TABLE OF
CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• BASIC ASPECTS
• ACT-UTILITARIANISM
• CRITICISMS
• RULE-UTILITARIANISM
INTROD
UTILITARIANIS
M
is an ethical theory that determines right
from wrong by focusing on outcomes. It is a
form of consequentialism.
 What is
Utilitarianism??
THAT THE RIGHTNESS
AND WRONGNESS OF
ACTIONS IS DETERMINED
BY GOODNESS AND
BADNESS OF THEIR
CONSEQUENCES.
 It consists of two
main parts.
GOOD and RIGHT
 THE GOOD
SPECIFIES WHAT
GOAL(S) IS
MORALLY WORTHY
 Actions contributing to the
achievement of that goal are
then said to be mor ally
desirable, while actions
inhibiting its a chievement are
said to be unde sir able.
 THE RIGHT IS A MORE
SPECIFIC INDICATION OF
WHAT IS TO BE DONE
WITH THE GOOD. THE
MOST COMMON THEORY
TO THE RIGHT IS
 UTILITARIANISM
It is the idea that the moral worth of an action is
solely determined by its contribution to overall
utility in maximizing happiness or pleasure as
summed among all people.
 PRINCIPLE OF
THE GREATEST
HAPPINESS
A N ACT ION IS GOOD (RI GHT) IN SO
FA R AS IT P RODU CE S THE
GRE AT ES T HAPP INES S FO R THE
GREATE ST NUMBER OF PEOPLE;
BAD (WRONG) INSOFAR AS IT
PRODUCES MORE HARM THAN
BENE FIT F OR TH E G REATEST
NUMBER O F IND IVIDUA LS
BASIC
 UT I L I TAR I AN I SM R E QU IR E S
MA XI MI Z AT I O N O F O V E R AL L
HA PP I NE S S. T HI S MA XI MI Z AT I O N
REF E R S TO T HE T HE O RY O F R I GH T
AN D IN DI C AT E S T H AT T HE MOR E
H AP PI NE SS T HE R E I S, T HE
BETTER.
There is sometimes a tendency to think
in terms of maximizing "my" to " their"
happiness may not be the correct way to
apply utilitarianism.
 HAPPINESS IS PERHAPS THE
TRICKIEST TERM IN THE BASIC
DEFINITION PROVIDED. SOME
REFERENCES TO UTILITARIANISM
POINT TO UNITY AS THE GOOD
RATHER THAN HAPPINESS, BUT THE
TWO ARE ROUGHLY SYNONYMOUS.
Jeremy Bentham
(1748-1832)
 Jeremy
Bentham
According to Him, Happiness is
a hedonistic notion, founded on
the natural state of humankind,
and is a function of achieving
pleasure and avoiding pain.
 HEDONISTIC
UTILITARIANISM
Ut i litarianism st ar t s fr om t he ba si s t hat
pl ea sure a nd ha ppi ne ss a re i ntr i nsic a ll y
va luabl e , that pa i n a nd suff er i ng ar e
int r insic al l y disval ua ble .
 "Hedonic Calculus" that
assigned relative values,
positive or negative, to various
acts that would produce
pleasure and pain respectively.
 Bentham's version of
utilitarianism requires
measuring specific quantities of
happiness, and while this might
seem a strange aspect of the
theory.
 John Stuart
Mill
Mill distinguished the "higher"
pleasures (intellectuality and
creativity) from "lower"
pleasure (eating, drinking and
sex).
 John Stuart
Mill
This is the basis for Mill's well
known quotation "it is better to
be a human being dissatisfied
than a pig satisfied.
Act-
Is the theory stipulating that the
morally right act is the one that
produces at least as much overall
happiness in the circumstances as
any alternative act.
CONSI DERIN G BENT HAM'S AND
MIL L’S APPROACH, WHEREIN
BE NTHAM'S MAK E US E OF “UNITS”
OF HAP PINE SS AN D MIL L’ S D EGREE
OF PREF ERE NCE IS BEING TAKEN
I NTO ACCOUNT.
Act X Act Y
You -10 +8
Other Person +15 -20
Total +5 -12
 The act that would produce the most overall
happiness is morally right and must be carried
out.
INCASE OF A “ T IE ”, E IT HE R OF T HE
TWO ACTS MAY BE PE RFORME D. IT
WOULD BE MOR AL LY PE R MISSIBL E
It is allowed but not required.
Criticism
 It is concerned strictly with
the outcomes of actions that
have not (and may never be)
performed.
It has been claimed that act-
utilitarianism, when taken to
its logical extreme, requires
too much of people.
It has been claimed that act-
utilitarianism, when taken to
its logical extreme, requires
too much of people.
It has been claimed that act-
utilitarianism is not
practical.
 Rule-
Utilitarianism
It differs from Act-
Utilitarianism
It calls for a closer look at the long-term
consequences that would be generated
by performing the act in all relevantly
similar situations.
It calls for a closer look at the long-term
consequences that would be generated
by performing the act in all relevantly
similar situations.
 Rule
Utilitarian
 Their theory will generate rules, and
will thus prescribe actions in
accordance with those rules. that are
much more in line with our
institutions.
For example: The rule requiring people to keep
their promises is likely justified by rule utilitarian
considerations.
An example of a case of a doctor,
act-utilitarianism appeared to
recommend killing the healthy
patient in order to redistribute his
organs to the five other patients in
need of transplant.