Understanding Utilitarianism

1. UTILITARIANISM
Presented by:Group 1
UNIT 2

2. MEET THE GROUP
JAN AVEGAIL TUBAT CORNIFILD BULAY RICA ALATAN
JELLY JANE BUCOG EVHA GERONDA

3. 1
2
3
It is Consequentialism in
Nature.
It is theory of moral philosophy that is based on the
principle that an action is morally right if it produce
a greater quantity of good or happiness than any
possible action
Greatest Happiness for greatest
number.
UTILITARIANISM

4. UTILITARIANISM
Utilitarianism or Utilitarian Theory comes from the Latin word, utilis,
which means useful, beneficial, profitable, advantageous, and
serviceable. It is considered to be the most influential teleological or
consequentialist.
In Utilitarianism, what is good or right is anything useful,
beneficial, advantageous, and serviceable in the consequences or
ends (telos). The end justifies the means including the
intention. Intentions and means are neither good nor bad.
Utilitarianism opposes duty, reason, virtue, God, emotion, self-
interest, and love as the basis of morality.

5. PROMINENT PHILOSOPHER
OF UTILITARIANISM

6. JEREMY BENTHAM Jeremy Bentham was an
English philosopher jurist, and
social reformer regarded as
the founder of modern
utilitarianism.
Born: 15 February 1748 London,
England, Kingdom of Great
Britain
Died: 6 June 1832 (aged 84)
London, England, United
Kingdom

7. JEREMY
BENTHAM
Study: Utilitarianism Legal
positivism Liberalism
Epicureanism Main
interests: Political
philosophy, philosophy of
law, ethics, economics
Notable ideas: Greatest
happiness principle,
Radical Consequentialism

8. JEREMY BETHEM
Jeremy Bentham (humanism.org.uk) is the founder of
Utilitarianism. He is greatly respected for
having made prisons more humane, campaigning for
greater democracy and free education.
Improving working conditions, employment, minimum
wage, sickness benefits and old-age
insurance.
Bentham has defined the human person and his actions as
basically governed or motivated by
pleasure and pain. This fundamental role of pleasure and
pain holds that everything pleasurable
is good and everything painful is evil or bad. Happiness is
pleasure that is desirable in the end

9. THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF
UTILITARIANISM
In Act Utilitarianism, the
principle of utility is
directly
applied to every moral
action. The right act is the
one that brings about the
best end or the
least amount of wrong or
bad end.
In Rule Utilitarianism, the
principle of utility is
applied to validate any
rule of conduct or moral
principle. The right or
good rule is the one which
brings about the best end
or the least amount
of wrong or bad end.
01 02

10. FELICIFIC CALCULUS
Bentham suggested a hedonic calculus or
utility calculus that could be used to
determine the moral status and
circumstance of the action. He called it the
“felicific calculus” (from Latin:
Felicitas or felix fruitful, blessed, happy):

11. FELICIFIC CALCULUS
-Felicific Calculus: a method of determining the
rightness of an action by balancing the probable
pleasures and pains that it would produce.”
-measures the degree of happiness or pleasure that
a specific action may produce also called utility
calculus or hedonistic calculus
-It includes intensity, duration, certainty,
propinquity, fecundity, purity, and extent.

12. FELICIFIC FORMULA
The intense (intensity) the pleasure, the
better: the longer (duration) it lasts, the
better: the more certain (certainty) that it
will happen, the better; the closer
(propinquity) that it will occur, the better:
the greater the possibility (fecundity) that
it will be followed by another pleasure, the
better. the purer (purity) the pleasure, the
better. the greater the number of people
that it benefits (extent) the better.

13. Greatly influenced by his father James
and Jeremy Bentham
• Known as “most influential English-
speaking Philosopher of the 19th
century
• Birth: May 20, 1806, Pentonville,
London
• Death: 1873, London, England
JOHN STUART MIL

14. He was a British philosopher, naturalist,
liberalist, economist, and moral-political
theorist. His books and essays were centered
Logic, Epistemology, Economics, Social and
Political Philosophy, Ethics, and Religion.
John Stuart Mill was a great follower of
Bentham. He attempted to correct the
misconceptions about Utilitarianism. He
observed that Utilitarianism was misunderstood
by construing utility as mere pleasure and
happiness as mere quantity
JOHN STAURT MILL

15. HAPPINESS PRINCIPLE
“The greatest good is greatest happiness for the greatest number
of people.”
This promotes the capability of achieving quality happiness or
higher pleasures for the mostamount of people. It is the sole basis
of morality, the very desire, and end of all. Everything is just a
means to happiness such as rights.
Mill believed that people become unhappy because of
selfishness and lack of mental cultivation. Education should
help nurture appropriate values that can make people selfless.
Evils of the world such as diseases and poverty can be eliminated
if only people work together.

16. Mill thought that virtuous people such as heroes
and martyrs do not deny themselveshappiness.
Rather, they sacrifice happiness for the greatest
end or the happiness for thegreatest number of
people. Having an attitude of self-sacrifice is the best
chance of gaininghappiness but not good in itself. It is
good for promoting happiness.
Utilitarianism may be godless since happiness may not be
the will of God. But Mill thinks that if
God desires the happiness of all His people, then
utilitarianism could be a better religion.

17. BUSINESS’ FASCINATION
WITH UTILITARIANISM

18. BUSINESS’ FASCINATION
WITH UTILITARIANISM
The theory of utilitarianism can be applied in
business in many ways.
To begin with, business persons who wish to use
this theory must first understand its four
components. The application of this theory can
be either positive or negative.

19. 1
2
3
CONSEQUENTIALISM
WELFARISM
4 ELEMENT OF BUSINESS FASCINATION
Individualism
AGGREGATION
4

20. CONSEQUENTIALISM
It is the understanding that the wrongness or
rightness of actions is entirely determined by
their actions.
Business can apply the concept of
consequentialism in their operations even
though it may contradict the moral and ethical
systems that are in place.

21. WELFARISM
It is an understanding that the wrongness or rightness of
operations depend on societies conception of welfare or
wellbeing.
In business, the management may decide to increase the
wages & benefits if it improves the wellbeing or promotes
the happiness of their employees
In this regard, the business will be positively applying
utilitarianism when they can balance the principle of
pleasure& pain & how they can influence their
performance.

22. INDIVIDUALISM
The principle of individualism in
utilitarianism holds that every
individual, as it is human nature,
pursues happiness, thus, will engage in
actions that maximize utility

23. AGGREGATION
A business applying this element should
engage in activities that increase its
profits while at the same time serves the
best interests of its customers, the
community, and the government.

24. Most business consider this
while making their hiring
decisions, hoping that their
new employees would live to
the expectations by doing the
best they can for the greater
good of the business.

25. HELLO EVERYONE,
IT’S ME QUIZ!
I D E N T I F I C A T I O N

26. 1.What is theory of moral philosophy that is based on the principle that an action is
morally right if it produce a greater quantity of good or happiness than any possible
action?
2.he was a great follower of Bentham. He attempted to correct the misconceptions
about Utilitarianism.
3.Who is the English philosopher jurist, and social reformer regarded as the founder
of modern utilitarianism?
4. It utility calculus that could be used to determine the moral status and
circumstance of the action?
5. 2 types of Utilitarianism According to Jeremy Bentham?
IDENTIFICATION

27. 6.This principle promotes the capability of achieving quality happiness or higher pleasures for the
mostamount of people?
7.In Business Fascination It is the understanding that the wrongness or rightness of actions is
entirely determined by their actions?
8.In Business Fascination It is an understanding that the wrongness or rightness of operations
depend on societies conception of welfare or wellbeing?
9..In Business Fascination it is the principle in utilitarianism holds that every individual, as it is
human nature, pursues happiness, thus, will engage in actions that maximize utility?
10.In Business Fascination applying this element should engage in activities that increase its
profits while at the same time serves the best interests of its customers, the community, and the
government.
IDENTIFICATION

28. For 2 points Give 5
real life situation/
experiences applying
Utilitarianism.
ACTIVITY NO.2

29. THANK YOU
FOR ANSWERING
MY QUESTIONS
SEE YOU NEXT
QUIZ TIME