Jeremy Bentham And John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism Theory

Of the many theories and theorists discussed in our History and systems of Psychology class, the Utilitarianism theory stood out to me the most. This theory, founded around the 18th and 19th century by philosophers (theorists) Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Their theory purports that, “social, economical or political decisions should be made for, the betterment of society. It bases the moral worth of an action upon the number of people it gives happiness or pleasure to” (Investopedia, 2017). No one wants to operate at a loss and this principle teaches that priority can be given to the things that would yield the greatest outcome. Not for selfish purposes, but for the benefits of many. In my opinion, it acts selflessly, because, it prioritizes

This theory, founded around the 18th and 19th century by philosophers (theorists) Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Their theory purports that, “social, economical or political decisions should be made for, the betterment of society. It bases the moral worth of an action upon the number of people it gives happiness or pleasure to” (Investopedia, 2017). No one wants to operate at a loss and this principle teaches that priority can be given to the things that would yield the greatest outcome. Not for selfish purposes, but for the benefits of many. In my opinion, it acts selflessly, because, it prioritizes the needs of a society rather than personal needs. In other words, if the actions are not going to be of benefit to the society, then this principle is not going to operate; since, its concern is for the overall good. This principle holds that some can suffer during the process of trying save the majority. Therefore, the majority is going to gain pleasure or happiness from the sufferings of a few. For example, leaving your current family business that pays you $1000 a month with no reward for overtime, and accept another that pays $2000 without working overtime. This decision can affect your father or mother, but in the end, your husband and children are much happier; since, humans on a whole seek pleasure or happiness rather than