Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that argues actions should be judged based on their consequences, specifically whether they produce more benefit or harm. Jeremy Bentham developed the theory, arguing that actions are right if they lead to pleasure and wrong if they cause pain. He created a framework called felicific calculus to calculate the pleasure of actions based on factors like duration and number of people affected. John Stuart Mill argued that some pleasures, like intellectual pursuits, are of higher quality than basic pleasures like eating. He believed utilitarianism promotes the greatest happiness of the greatest number, not just individual selfish acts. Both Bentham and Mill believed actions should be evaluated based on their consequences, but Mill argued some consequences are better

1. Utilitarianism

2. Utilitarianism
● An ethical theory that argues for the goodness of
pleasure and the determination of right behavior
based on the usefulness of the actions
consequences.
● This means that pleasure is good and that the
goodness of action is determined by its usefulness.
● An action that brings about more benefit than
harm is good, while an action that causes more
harm than benefit is not.
● Consequentialism - Moral value of actions and
decisions is based on the consequences.

3. Jeremy Bentham
● Principle of Utility: Our actions are governed by two
“sovereign masters”--which he calls pleasure and pain.
These “masters” are given to us by nature to help us
determine what is good or bad and what ought to be done and
not; they fasten our choices to their throne.
○ Actions should be evaluated according to their ability to
produce pleasure and pain
○ Actions that lead to pleasure are right, ones that
produce pain are wrong
● Law of Social Hedonism
○ The greatest happiness for the greatest number
○ Bentham’s theory is both empirical and democratic

4. Jeremy Bentham
● Felicific Calculus: common currency framework that calculates the pleasure that some actions
can produce.
1. DURATION: length of experience of pleasure
2. CERTAINTY: The pleasure will occur
3. PROPINQUITY, REMOTENESS: How soon there will be pleasure
4. FECUNDITY: Actions will be followed by sensations
5. PURITY: Actions will not be followed by sensations
6. EXTENT: Number of persons affected by pleasure or pain.

5. Jeremy Bentham
Let’s imagine you are a doctor driving to a patient, a young mother who is about to give birth. It is late at night
and you come across a car accident on the country road you are travelling on.
Two cars are involved in the accident and both drivers are unconscious and have visible injuries. One of
the men is the father of the child you are going to deliver, and the other man is very old. You do not
know the extent of their injuries but in your opinion, without immediate medical help, one or both may
die.

6. Jeremy Bentham
Three possible solutions:
You help the young mother who's about to give birth.
You help the young woman's husband.
You help the old man.

7. Jeremy Bentham
The outcome of felicific calculus would suggest:
Attending to the mother first is your primary concern as the doctor.
Attending to the young husband is the next priority.
Attending to the old man is the last priority.

8. John Stuart Mill
● Critics called Utilitarianism as Pig Philosophy.
Suggesting that Bentham’s logic would promote
conspicuousness, allowing people to chase base
pleasures in everyday life.
● For Mill, utilitarianism cannot promote the kind of
pleasures appropriate to pigs or to any other animals.
He thinks that there are HIGHER INTELLECTUAL
and LOWER BASE PLEASURES.
○ Lower Pleasures - Eating, Drinking, Sex, etc.
○ Higher Pleasures - Intellectuality, Creativity and
Spirituality.
● "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig
satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool
satisfied.”

9. John Stuart Mill
● Contra critics (Pig Philo), Utilitarianism cannot lead to
selfish acts. It cannot be all about us. If we are the only
ones satisfied by our actions, it does not constitute a
moral good.
● Utilitarianism is interested with the best consequence
for the highest number of people.
● “Utilitarianism is interested with everyone’s happiness,
in fact, the greatest happiness of the greatest number.”

10. John Stuart Mill
Justice according to J.S Mill
● A right is justifiable on utilitarian principles in as much
as they produce an overall happiness that is greater
than the unhappiness resulting from their
implementation.
● When legal rights are not morally justified in
accordance to the greatest happiness principle, then
these rights need neither be observed, nor be respected.
● Mill’s moral rights and considerations of justice are not
absolute, but are only justified by their consequences to
promote the greatest good of the greatest number.

11. Benthamite VS Millsian
BENTHAMITE MILLSIAN
Democratic Utilitarianism
● No one pleasure is inherently
better than any other
● If drunken parties make you
happy, then go for it!
● Reading poetry isn’t better
than watching Keeping up
with the Kardashians., it’s
just different.
Elite Utilitarianism
● Some pleasures are better
than others
● If you party and get drunk
every day, then you won’t be
as happy as you otherwise
might be.
● Enjoying poetry is better
than watching bad TV. And
if you disagree, it is because
you don’t understand quality.