THEORY OF UTILITARISM SOCIAL Hedonism
is an ethical theory that argues for the goodness Ethics as Greatest Happiness
of pleasure and the determination of right
Moral worth judged by presumed effect
behavior based on the usefulness of the actions
consequences. This means that pleasure is good Action guided by pleasure/pain
and that the goodness of action is determined
by its usefulness. FELICIFIC CALCULUS- common currency
framework that calculates the pleasure that
- This means that the goodness or the badness some actions can produce
of an action is based on whether it is useful in
contributing to a specific purpose for the DURATION or length of the experience
greatest number of people. of pleasure.
-Right actions result in ‘good or pleasure,’ CERTAINTY, UNCERTAINTY, or the
wrong actions result in pain or absence of likelihood that pleasure will occur; and
pleasure. PROPINQUITY, REMOTENESS, or how
JEREMY BENTHAM soon there will be pleasure.
Proponent of utilitarian theory These indicators allow us to measure and pain
in actions, we need to consider THREE MORE
Bentham first wrote about the greatest DIMENSIONS:
happiness principle of ethics and was known for
a system of penal management called FECUNDITY or the chance it has of
PANOPTICON. being followed by sensations of the
same kind
Maximization of pleasure
PURITY or the chance it has of not being
Minimization of pain followed by sensations of the opposite
kind.
Actions that lead to PLEASURE ARE RIGHT,
ones that produce PAIN ARE WRONG. Lastly, when considering the number of
persons who are affected by pleasure or
LAW
pain, another dimension is to be
Government should not pass laws that
considered -- EXTENT.
protect tradition, customs or rights
JOHN STUART MILL
Government should base all laws on the
happiness principle His ethical theory and his defense of utilitarian
views are found in his long essay entitled
The greatest happiness for the greatest number
UTILITARANISM (1861).
Bentham’s theory is both empirical (how
Mill dissents from Bentham’s single scale of
much pain or pleasure is caused by the
pleasure. He thinks that the principle of
act or policy) and democratic
utility must distinguish pleasures
(each individual’s happiness is as important QUALITATIVELY and not merely quantitatively.
as any other’s)
For Mill, utilitarianism cannot promote Greek word deon, which means
the kind of pleasures appropriate to obligation.
pigs or to
According to deontology, regardless of the
any other animals. He thinks that there are outcome, we are ethically required to act in line
HIGHER INTELLECTUAL and LOWER BASE with a set of principles and laws. The
PLEASURES. foundations of religious deontology are derived
from divine commandment, and we are
Lower pleasures: eating, drinking, sexuality, ethically compelled not to steal, lie, or cheat
etc. under religious regulations.
Higher pleasures: intellectuality, creativity and IMMANUEL KANT
spirituality. According to deontological views, some actions
"It is better to be a human being dissatisfied are morally wrong are always wrong, even if the
deed results in a noble result.
than a pig satisfied; better
"the moral worth of an action is determined by
to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool
the human will, which is the only thing in the
satisfied.” world that can be considered good without
BETHAMITE qualification. Good will is exercised by acting
according to moral duty/law. Moral law consists
DEMOCRATIC UTILITARIANISM of a set of maxims, which are categorical in
nature – we are bound by duty to act in
o No pleasure is inherently accordance with categorical imperatives".
better than any other HYPOTHETICAL IMPERATIVES
o If drunken parties make you It is a rule of conduct that applies to someone
only if they desire a certain outcome and
happy, then go for it!
choose to act on that desire. Hypothetical
o Reading poetry isn’t better than imperatives are conditional on a person's wants,
watching The Bachelor, it’s just needs, or desires.
CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVES
different.
It's a rule of conduct that is unconditional
MILLSIAN
and absolute for all people. The categorical
ELITE UTILITARIANISM imperative is concerned with the morality
and intent of an action, and is not
Some pleasures are better than others concerned with emotions, empathy, or
sympathy.
o If you party and get drunk every day,
then you won’t be as happy as you VIRTUE ETHICS
otherwise might be.
Virtue comes from the Latin word ‘virtus’ which
Enjoying poetry is better than watching bad means manhood or perhaps ‘worth’. Thus, the
TV. And if you disagree, it is because you don’t word of any action of man is based from virtue
understand quality. instead from duty or consequence, it does not
posit a question, ‘what shall I do or perhaps
DEONTOLOGICAL ETICS
what rule I ought to follow?’ Rather, how
should I carry out my life if I am to live well?’
Virtue ethics focuses on the formation of one’s Based on Aristotle, a morally virtuous person is
character brought about by determining and person is concerned with achieving her
doing virtuous acts. appropriate action in a manner that is neither
For Plato, the real is outside the realm excessive nor deficient. In other words, virtue is
the middle or the intermediary point in
for any human sensory experience but between extremes.
can somehow be grasped by one’s NATURAL LAW THEORY
intellect. The truth and, ultimately, the ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
good are in the sphere of forms or ideas
Also known as Doctor Angelicus
transcending daily human condition.
And Doctor Communis
On the other hand, for Aristotle the
Born in 1225 Aquino, Italy. Died in 1274.
real is found within our everyday
Referred to as Thomas because his last
encounter with objects in the world. name Aquinas refers to where he was
What makes nature intelligible is its born.
character of having both form and Italian Dominican friar, philosopher,
theologian, priest, and Doctor of the
matter. Therefore, the truth and the Church
good cannot exist apart from the object Begins his natural law theory by
and are not independent of us differentiating human acts from acts of
man.
experience.
AQUINAS reminds us that we cannot
simply act in pursuit of our own ends or
For Aristotle, every act that a good without any regard for other
people's end or good.
person does is directed toward a
What is good for the community as well
particular purpose, aim, of what
as our own good. This can be called
the Greeks called telos. There is a COMMON GOOD.
purpose why one does something, We should recognize the proper
and for Aristotle, a person’s action measure or the limits in our acts in a
way that we can pursue ends, about our
manifest a good that she aspires own and that of others, together. The
for. Every pursuit of a person of a determination of the proper measure of
our acts can be referred to as LAW.
hopes to achieve a good.
ETERNAL LAW
EUDAIMONIA
It is the overarching law that God created to
HAPINESS order the chaos of creation.
MESOTES
DIVINE LAW
These are God's rules as revealed in
scripture, such as the Ten Commandments.
NATURAL LAW
Aquinas believed that humans are naturally
inclined to do good, and that morality is a
universal set of rights and wrongs that are
shared across cultures.
Follows the fundamental maxim,
‘DO GOOD AND AVOID EVIL.’
HUMAN LAW
Human laws are created by state
governments and are derived from natural
law.
PRINCIPLE OF DOUBLE EFFECT
It is a moral doctrine in Catholic theology
that states an action can be permissible if it
has both good and bad effects, as long as
the intention is to produce the good effect
