A Consequentialist Morality

A Consequentialist Morality
• Utilitarianism belongs to a theory in morality that

can be labeled as consequentialist. An ethical theory
is
consequentialist when it puts primary consideration
and
emphasis on the effects or results that an act or
• Unlike in natural law ethics, utilitarianism plainly
conduct
disregards
brings thethan
rather act on
itself
theasmotive
the basis of morality.
or intention thatIn
assessing whether an act is good or bad, a
the
consequentialist
agent may have. looks into the outcome of the act
or
conduct. What solely matters is the result of the
deed,
2
A Consequentialist Morality
In utilitarian ethical theory, no action in itself
(the act per se) can be considered or called as good
or bad, right or wrong, apart from its outcome or
end. Utilitarian claim that there is nothing that we
can say in terms of moral worth of the act that is
not dependent, in one way or the other, to its
consequences. Actions, for them, do not have
intrinsic moral value.
In the An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (Chapter 1, Sectio3n
1), Jeremy Bentham (174 1832), one of the most prominent advocates and
founders of Utilitarianism writes:
• Nature has placed mankind under the governance of
two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for
them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well
as to determine what we shall do. On the one hand the
standard of right and wrong, on the other chain of
causes and effects, are fastened to their throne. They
govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think:
every effort we can make to throw off our subjection,
will serve but to demonstrate and confirm it.
Hence for Utilitarianism, right and wrong, are dependent
on the pleasure or pain that an act will bring or result to. If
an4
act produces pleasure, it is considered right or good; If it
results to pain, it is considered wrong or bad. Everything
else
is viewed as insignificant or unimportant in assessing the
act ’s
moral worth or value.
This in a way, echoes a very old but still a very influential
ethical school of thought that has its origin in ancient
Greek
Philosophy – The theory of Ethical Hedonism. This theory
advocates a philosophy that holds that the primary reason
Principal of Utility 5
• Although the central features of Utilitarianism as a

philosophical movement were already
expounded and articulated in the 18th century by a number
systematically
of leading European philosophers (most notably David
Hume), Those who are highly recognized to be its true
founders or originators ar Jeremy Bentham and his Brilliant
and remarkable pupil and disciple John Stuart Mill (1806-
• 1873).
It was Bentham who specifically coined the now famous
phrase “Principle of Utility” (thus, the term Utilitarianism) to
denote that the essentially determining element whether an
act can be good or right is its utility or usefulness(value) – to
Principal of Utility 6
• Utilitarianism, as expounded by Mill and

Bentham, aims at consequences, which are
good,
that everybody (Or the general public) wants,
and
this is happiness or pleasure. As such
Utilitarianism
has also come to be known as a Happiness
theory ”.
The Greatest Good For the Greatest 7
Number
• What makes Utilitarianism so appealing to a lot of
people is its special emphasis on the social dimension
of
morality. In fact, this is where the theory becomes
influential. Our political system is so dominated by
• selfish
But it was not in Mill or in Bentham that this emphasis
interest
on of few
the social individuals
dimension that the pursuit
of happiness, where ofmorality
the
greatest
has
welfare
its has had
meaning beenoriginated
neglected.but the honor belongs to the
Scottish philosophe Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746). It
was
he who first formulated the now famous, though
controversial utilitarian phrase – The greatest good for
Bentham’s Hedonic Calculus 8
(Cost-Benefit Analysis)
• In ethical or moral decision making, Bentham claims that
what truly matters in the end is the maximization of
pleasure
or happiness and the minimization if not the total
•
eradication
of pain or suffering.
This particular scheme which Bentham called the
“Hedonic Calculus” (Hedons is a Greek term means
Pleasure,
Calculus is a science of calculation), is used for
9
The Hedonic Calculus (Bentham 1976:64-67)
1 Intensity – the more intense the pleasure, the better. One
is morally bound to do an act that offers stronger degree of
happiness or contentment. Not all pleasures are the same.
Some pleasures are stronger or are more intense than others.
2 Duration – the longer the pleasure lasts, the better. One is
morally obliged to perform those actions that provide longer
experience of pleasure. Pleasures also vary as to how long
they last. They are long-term pleasures and there are also
pleasures that are short-lived.
10
3 Certainty – the more certain the pleasure, the better. One

should pursue those actions where their expected pleasures are
more probable. One should ask how likely or unlikely it is that the
expected pleasure will actually result.
4 Propinquity – the nearer, closer or more often that pleasures
occur, the better. One is ethically mandated to do an act that
brings immediate pleasure than one that brings pleasure only at
a farther point in time. Why wait for something that will happen
in the far distant future when you can have a pleasure that is
readily available in the moment? The soonest the expected
pleasure occur, the better.
1
5 Fecundity – the greater the possibility that
the pleasure that can one derive from an act
will be followed by more pleasures, the better.
One is morally required to perform actions that
lead to series of pleasures down the road. Ask
how likely it is that the action will result to
more pleasure in the future.
6 Purity – the purer the pleasure, the better. If
you can have pleasure only in conjunction with
pain, better not pursue the act. Do an act that
is not tainted by pain. If there is an
accompanying pain or discomfort in the
process, look for an alternative act that will
12
7 Extent – the greater the number of
people who can experience pleasure,
the better. One is morally bound to
do only those actions that will make
a lot of people happy. Between
personal or individual happiness and
the happiness of the many, one
should prioritize the greater number
and sacrifice his or her own. Here,
one should consider how many other
individuals would be affected by the
13
• For Bentham then, when we are confronted with a
certain act or course of conduct, the proper ethical
approach is to calculate carefully the amount of
pleasure and the amount of pain that the action
will bring.
• In hedonic calculus (giving a fixed numerical value
to each of the seven elements, say from one to ten;
one signifies the lowest then ten as the highest)
the amount pf pleasure is deducted from the
amount of pain to arrive at the balance.
14
Two Types of Pleasure: Quantity vs. Quality
• Unlike the ethical egoist, who only pursued his or her

own personal desire and happines , Bentham insists that
we
should not only pursue our own self-interest but also
that of
the group or the majority. The greatest happiness of the
• As Bentham maintains
greatest numberaisquantitative
for Benthamposition
the topinpriority
evaluating
over
the amount of pleasure
individual that we can get in doing an act, his
happiness.
genius of a pupil – John Stuart Mill – develops his own
version that enables his view to deviate from that of his
master.
5
• Mill introduces a way of determining pleasure that is
not just confined to quantity or amount but more on
quality. Thus he claims that pleasures have two types:
Quantity and quality. Pleasure differ not just in amount
but
also in quality. He say that pleasures of the mind or this
• According toare
spirit Mill,higher
persons
thatshould seekof
pleasures the higher
the flesh pleasure
and of the
than just body.
pursue the lover kind that is associated with mere
sensual satisfaction or fulfillment. He sums this up with this
famous and unforgettable line; it is better to be a human
being dissatisfied that an pig satisfied: better to be
Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.”

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A Consequentialist Morality

• Utilitarianism belongs to a theory in morality that

• Although the central features of Utilitarianism as a

• Utilitarianism, as expounded by Mill and

3 Certainty – the more certain the pleasure, the better. One

• Unlike the ethical egoist, who only pursued his or her

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