ipl-logo

Jeremy Bentham And John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism Theory

872 Words4 Pages

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 …show more content…

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

Show More
Related
594 Words | 3 Pages

Selfishness and selflessness can be balanced, and this balance is crucial to a functioning

Read More
1559 Words | 7 Pages

Johnson talks about the different ways selfishness can be taken. It can either be good or bad. When it comes to good selfishness, it means that you are being selfish for the benefit of you and the other person. Now when it comes to bad selfishness, it consists of a person only thinking about themselves, of their own happiness. These actions have consequences, just like John said, “If you exploit people they become less likely to cooperate with you voluntarily” (PsychologyToday).

Read More
611 Words | 3 Pages

Utilitarianism is one of the best-known theory under the consequentialism, and its idea is the Greatest Happiness Principle(GHP). According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Utilitarian believe that the purpose of morality is to

Read More
1792 Words | 8 Pages

Utilitarianism was established around the 18th and mid-19th century and is a legacy from both philosophy and classic economic theory (_____). There are three assumptions under utilitarianism. The first is that people are purposive and driven to capitalize on maternal benefits from interactions among others in a free and competitive marketplace. Next, representatives have access to the necessary info to evaluate options and analyze expenses of every possibility in a free market. Lastly, people can judiciously select which activities will increase their profits based on calculations (McEwen & Wills, 2014; Turner, 2013).

Read More
741 Words | 3 Pages

Utilitarian theory This theory reveals that an act can only be considered to be ethical if its end result is happiness for the majority affected by that particular act, as per the point that the ultimate goal of human beings is to be happy. The person who came with this theory, John Stuart Mill calls it the greatest happiness principle. In order for a person to come to the conclusion that the majority will be happy with the outcome, it means that the practical outcome of an act must be looked at to determine such. When applying this theory in the state being captured by the Guptas family: the family will benefit from this, if they control or influence the state the decision taken will benefit them more. From doing so the family has built

Read More
566 Words | 3 Pages

The philosopher Ayn Rand believed that an individual’s life is of the utmost importance, as is her well-being. She knew that altruistic ethics require individuals to sacrifice their own wellbeing and lives for the sake of others. With ethical egoism, and will value their own wellbeing above all others. So, she was for ethical egoism. Ayn Rand also had an argument against ethical egoism believing it is a mistake to treat the interest of some individuals as being less important than the interest of others.

Read More
1218 Words | 5 Pages

The main principle of utilitarianism is happiness. People who follow this theory strive to fulfill the “ultimate good”. The “ultimate good” is defined as ultimate pleasure with out any pain. It is said that the pleasure can be of any quantity and any quality, but pleasures that are weighted more important are put at a higher level than others that are below it. This ethical theory also states that if society would fully embrace utilitarianism then people would naturally realize their moral standing in the

Read More
1341 Words | 6 Pages

Ethical Egoism is the theory that supports this claim. In Ethical Egoism described by Rachels, “each person ought to pursue his or her own self-interest exclusively. This is the morality of selfishness…our only duty is to do what is best for ourselves.” (Rachels 65). While Ethical Egoism implies that one should do what is best for them, it does not tell you to avoid the well-being of others.

Read More
740 Words | 3 Pages

In Itself states that people should act in a certain way that you always treat humanity and always consider them as an end but never as mere means. This moral theory opposes to Utilitarianism, which supports the “greatest happiness principle”. According to “greatest happiness principle” people ought to act in such a way that produce the greatest amount of happiness for the

Read More
1248 Words | 5 Pages

What ought a man to do? This is a question that universally seeks solution when we get to use the concept of utilitarianism, and thus calls for consideration on some aspect of our society to able to answer it. The principle of utilitarianism from normative ethics best provides solutions to it. It was developed by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). The concept of utilitarianism focuses on the consequences of an action.

Read More
1193 Words | 5 Pages

Olivia Szumski John Stuart Mill was an influential English philosopher known for his theories and philosophical views. One of his popular works is Utilitarianism, which were at first articles that were then put together into a book. Utilitarianism is a response to critics who put down Mill’s moral theory of utilitarianism and it also expands the theory to provide a better understanding of it. Mill defines utilitarianism as a theory based on the idea that, “…actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse happiness.” He defines happiness and discuses it in great detail.

Read More
414 Words | 2 Pages

Utilitarianism gives too much opportunity for negative things to be done with people saying what they were doing caused them greater happiness rather than the alternative. Following the Utilitarianism gives people the thought they can do anything as long as pleasure is greater than displeasure. Happiness is the key for this ethical principle. For example, stealing something such as a prescription drug to save a life.

Read More
1564 Words | 7 Pages

John Stuart Mill, at the very beginning of chapter 2 entitled “what is utilitarianism”. starts off by explaining to the readers what utility is, Utility is defined as pleasure itself, and the absence of pain. This leads us to another name for utility which is the greatest happiness principle. Mill claims that “actions are right in proportions as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.” “By Happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain, by happiness, pain and the privation of pleasure”.

Read More
1685 Words | 7 Pages

Utilitarianism is a teleological ethical theory based on the idea that an action is moral if it causes the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. The theory is concerned with predicted consequences or outcomes of a situation rather than focusing on what is done to get to the outcome. There are many forms of utilitarianism, having been introduced by Jeremy Bentham (act utilitarianism), and later being updated by scholars such as J.S. Mill (rule utilitarianism) and Peter Singer (preference utilitarianism). When referring to issues of business ethics, utilitarianism can allow companies to decide what to do in a given situation based on a simple calculation. Many people would agree that this idea of promoting goodness

Read More
1014 Words | 5 Pages

Sofia Puato October 9, 2017 11-FireTree Sir Geoffrey Cruz Why a Human Being is Selfish At some points in his life, a human being can become selfish. For several reasons he would think of his own good over the good of others around him. Often he thinks putting himself first would do him anything good. It may do good to him but not to others whose wishes and favors were put aside for the human being's own wishes and favors.

Read More

More about Jeremy Bentham And John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism Theory

Related Topics

Open Document