THE UTILITARIAN APPROACH
Marcie Neils, Brandon Capelle,
Aaron Zimbelman, & Nate Martin
Monday 1:30-4:30
LP 5: Ethical Theory
Presentation
November 10, 2008
PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY
The rightness or wrongness of
an action is determined by the
goodness (utility) or badness
(disutility) of its consequences
not its intentions.
THREE BASIC INSIGHTS
 The
purpose of morality
is to make the world a
better place.
•
Morality is about producing
good consequences, not
having good intentions
THREE BASIC INSIGHTS
We should do
whatever will
bring the most
benefit (i.e.,
intrinsic value)
to all of
humanity.
•
JEREMY
BENTHAM
(1748 – 1832)
• Bentham believed
that we should try
to increase the
overall amount of
pleasure in the
world.
PLEASURE
 Definition:
The enjoyable
feeling we experience when
a state of deprivation is
replaced by fulfillment.
 Advantages:
Easy to quantify
 Short duration
 Bodily

“HAPPINESS-MAKING”
CALCULUS
A method of working out the sum
total of pleasure and pain
produced by an act in respect of
their intensity, duration, certainty,
proximity, productiveness, purity,
and extent.
Measuring Pleasure or
Utility
• Units of measurement:
•Positive = “hedons”
•Negative = “dolors”
• What must be measured for every
action:
• How people will be affected (positively or
negatively).
• The intensity of the reaction.
• Calculations for alternatives.
• Choose the action with the greatest
amount of utility.
EXAMPLE:
DEBATING THE SCHOOL LUNCH
PROGRAM
Benefits
Increased nutrition
for x number of
children
 Increased
performance, greater
long-range chances
of success
 Incidental benefits to
contractors, etc

Costs
Cost to each
taxpayer
 Contrast with other
programs that could
have been funded
and with lower taxes
(no program)

Act
Utilitarianism

Looks at the
consequences of each
individual act and
calculate utility each
time the act is
performed.
Rule
Utilitarianism

Looks at the
consequences of
having everyone
follow a particular
rule and calculates
the overall utility of
accepting or rejecting
the rule.
JOHN STUART
MILL
1806-1873
Believed that
happiness, not
pleasure, should
be the standard of
utility.
•
HAPPINESS
 Advantages:


A higher standard, more specific to
humans
About realization of goals
 Disadvantages:


More difficult to measure
Competing conceptions of happiness
JOHN STUART MILL
 Qualitative
 Intellectual
separation of pleasures
and moral pleasures are
superior to more physical forms of
pleasure
HEDONISTIC ETHICAL THEORY

Teaches the end of human conduct is happiness.


“the greatest happiness of the greatest number”
Pleasure and pain distinguish the conduct of
right and wrong.
UTILITARIAN CRITICISM
o
Impossible to apply
happiness cannot be quantified or measured
o no way of calculating a trade off between intensity
and extent.
o
UTILITARIAN CRITICISM
o
It is not proven by science or logic to be
correct or ethical
o
- Suppose something bad will happen
regardless of whether or not you do it. Then
it seems that if you are a utilitarian you
should be indifferent to whether you did it
or not; after all, the same consequences will
come about.
UTILITARIAN VIEW ON MUSIC PIRACY
The Utilitarian perspective seems to support
the piracy of music.
 To their thinking, they feel as if whatever
promotes the most happiness is therefore the
right thing to do.
 Even though this supports piracy, it is still
against the law.

REVIEW QUESTIONS:
 Is
an action good because you had good
intentions? Or is it good depending on the
consequences?
 Should
our decisions only be made on
what brings us the most happiness or
pleasure?