A presentation of Bentham and Mill's Utilitarianism.

1. How to Know What Is Good ORHow to Know What Is Good OR
Moral PhilosophyMoral Philosophy

2. Jeremy Bentham
1748-1842
A philosopher and legal
jurist
First founder of
Utilitarianism
A theory of how we
should act
“Act” utilitarianism
Happiness/Pleasure is
the measure of the
good
Mentor to John Stuart
Mill

3. Measure happiness & painMeasure happiness & pain
The only component
of happiness is
pleasure
Avoid pain and
embrace the
pleasure
Measuring pleasure
and pain
Is it possible?
What produces the
greatest amount of
happiness?

4. A Good Choice produces theA Good Choice produces the
greatest good (pleasure) for thegreatest good (pleasure) for the
greatest number of people.greatest number of people.
Utilitarianism is the moral philosophy
often called CONSEQUENTIALISM because
it focuses on the consequences of actions.
“Utility” can be interpreted in several
ways but it doesn`t actually mean useful,
but more
- happiness
- well being
-pleasure

5. Bentham uses Hedonism ofBentham uses Hedonism of
ancient Greeceancient Greece
Bentham’s Hedonistic Calculus
Intensity Strength of pain or
pleasure
Duration How long will it last?
Certainty How likely is this to
occur?
Nearness How soon will it
happen?
Productivity Will it generate more?
Purity How much is mixed
with the other?
Extent How many will be
affected?

6. HedonismHedonism
The good life is one filled with pleasure.
The pursuit of pleasure (especially that of
the physical senses) is a good in itself.
Different versions of hedonism...like
everything else, it exists on a continuum
Mental pleasure, psychological pleasure,
spiritual pleasure
Epicurus=long term pleasures + pleasures
of the mind

7. John Stuart Mill 1806-1873John Stuart Mill 1806-1873
Was an ’experiment’
in child rearing by his
father James Mill &
Jeremy Bentham
Most famous for “On
Liberty” – basis of
many constitutions
and charters of
freedom
Father of Liberalism
Motto: “I am my own
man”

8. John Stuart Mill 1806John Stuart Mill 1806
Was a child prodigy who read ½ of Plato at
the age of 6
He edited his father’s books at 7
Became a member of parliament and
championed women’s rights
Studied under Jeremy Bentham
Disagreed with Bentham’s hedonism
Suggested that pleasures exist on a hierarchy
(some are better than others)
More cultured than Bentham

9. Happy Pig or Sad SocratesHappy Pig or Sad Socrates
Mill’s famous statement that shows his ideas
of different pleasures, mental ones being at
the apex.
His question, is it better to be a happy pig or
a sad Socrates expresses the idea that
rational beings have greater value than non-
rational ones, even if they are not ‘happy’
The sad Socrates has more PLEASURE than
the happy pig
Some pleasures are so valuable, that a small
amount of it makes unhappiness OK.

10. Which would you rather be?Which would you rather be?

11. Act Utilitarianism= judges acts inAct Utilitarianism= judges acts in
isolationisolation
An action is deemed moral because it
produces the greatest happiness for the
greatest number of people.
“common moral sense” = seems good but
the danger = that this might require us to
do very bad things.
How do we get the numbers right?
Act U would sanction child slavery and
other abominations

12. Rule Utilitarian=act + ruleRule Utilitarian=act + rule
20th
c. Philosophers developed rule
utilitarianism to avoid moral dilemmas of
the act utilitarianism
General rule: no one should do anything
they can’t imagine asking everyone else
to do
Strength of theory: offers alternatives to
deontology, more flexible
Weakness: doesn’t define happiness or
pleasure, rights of minorities, measuring
greatest good + number

13. Immanuel Kant 1724-1804Immanuel Kant 1724-1804

14. Deontology’s answer: ImmanuelDeontology’s answer: Immanuel
KantKant
Like Aristotle & Plato, Kant believed that
the GOOD is an absolute and can be
identified
The only thing that is good for its own
sake is a good will (intention)
Everything else that you can imagine as
good, can be qualified (altered because of
context)
If your intentions are pure, they are
intrinsically good

15. Good=DutyGood=Duty
What is good? That which is consistent
with duty (higher moral principles/virtues)
AND that which is rational.
To have a good will is to act on higher
moral principles that are rational, justified
by reason.
Kant is a rationalist, like Plato, Aristotle
and Descartes.

16. Categorical ImperativeCategorical Imperative
Categorical=absolute
Imperative=command /duty
So, an absolute rule that must be obeyed.
“Act only according to the maxim (rule)
whereby you can at the same time will
that it should become a universal law of
nature.
Situation x: if telling a lie is the ‘right’
moral choice, then you must agree that
everyone can lie all the time

17. Ends and not meansEnds and not means
Act so that you treat people as ends
(subjects with innate dignity) and not
means (objects to be used whose value is
determined by their usefulness)
Kant believed that people had to act
according to their duties (higher
principles) even when the consequences
were negative.

18. Deontology -rootsDeontology -roots
This theory ignores consequences and
focuses on duty
Deon = Greek for duty
“ology” from logos meaning reason, word
or study.
Where would be now if not for the great
leaders of the world who brought change?
Do you think they were deontologists?

19. StrengthsStrengths
Impartial = imperative must be applied
without exception, no playing favorites
Emphasis on intent of the person which
allows you to see how they value virtues
and principles, despite a negative
outcome
Criticisms: too rigid, what about the ethics
of care (wouldn`t you lie and steal to save
a loved one’s life?)

20. How Do You Know WhatHow Do You Know What
is Right?is Right?
Which path to take? How to decide?
Moral imagination?
Moral intuition? Universal principals?
Means or ends?