This Presentation shows the Ethical Theory of Utilitarianism and explains its rules

1. Ethical Theories

2. Utilitarianism
• Is a theory in Ethics by which actions are judged to be right or wrong
solely according to their casual consequences.
• An individual should seek only those things that tend to produce “the
greatest happiness of the greatest number”.
• Actions are right if they promote the greatest happiness or pleasure to
the greatest number; wrong, if they produce unhappiness or pain.

3. The Utilitarian Precept of Pleasure-Regarding
• There are two general forms of pleasure: physical and mental.
Physical Pleasure- are sensual indulgences or bodily gratifications that
include, among others, sexual intercourse, eating, drinking, rest, etc.
Mental Pleasure- refers to intellectual, spiritual and moral pleasures.
Mental pleasures feed man’s noble feelings, imaginations and moral
sentiments. They are a higher or a superior form of pleasure, more
desirable and more valuable as compared to those of mere sensation.

4. Utilitarian Rules of Morality
Rule One: If the end of an act promotes unhappiness,
even if it intended to promote the greatest happiness, the
act is morally wrong.
-The rule demonstrates the unconditional requirement
of Utilitarian Morality to produce the greatest happiness
of the greatest number of people before any act can be
considered morally good.

5. 2 Level of Moral Assessment of Human Acts
First Level Assessment : Selecting a course of action from various
alternatives.
Example: The best course of action in that case is for the firm to lay off
2,000 workers rather than declare bankruptcy and close down
operations. This option will harm the interest of 2,000 workers, but will
save 3,000 other workers. Clearly, the option has a higher probability of
benefiting a greater number of workers compared to the number of
workers who will suffer its consequences.

6. Second Level Assessment: Selected course of action performed.
- The act is measured, based on direct or indirect results, by whether it
has achieved the utilitarian end or not.
Let us read the case scenario of the Killer Milk.

7. The Case of the Killer Milk
……Read the provided copy…..

8. Rule two: If the end of an act is the greatest amount of happiness of the
greatest number of people, whatever means the act employs is morally
justified.
This rule implies that regardless of an act’s means to achieve its
end, as long as act achieves the happiness of the greatest number of
people, the act is good and the means morally justified.

9. The Case of Dr. Robinhood
….Read the uploaded case……..

10. Rule three: If an act unintentionally produces the greatest amount of
happiness, the act is still considered morally good.
This rule means that if the consequence accidentally brought by
an act, satisfies the utilitarian end, that is, promotion of the greatest
happiness of most people, then, the act is morally good. It is not
important whether the consequence of an act is by design or by chance,
the only question is if the consequence of an act has promoted the
greatest amount of happiness of the greatest number of people.

11. The Case of the Prank Caller
….Read the uploaded case……..