Chapter 5

Consequence-based ethics:
utilitarianism
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Reported by: group 1

 Hello!
We are the group no.1 reporting this topic

Leader: bradon Joshua Fontejon

Members: Cristina maee tabbuac
Jhenrix Fernando
Micheal DosDos
Ivan George Padirayon
Kate Bryan
John rhey
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Philippe Nicolai
 talking points.

1st. Consequeatialism

2nd. Utilitariatism

3rd. The principle of Utility

4th. Jeremy Bentham Quantitative and

John Stewart Mill, Qualitative
Hedonistic Utilitarianism
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 First talking point
Consequentialism

01
Consequentialism is a normative ethical
theory that evaluates the morality of an
action based on its consequences or outcomes
that ultimately matter in judging whether the
action is morally good or bad.
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 Particularistic vs. Universal Consequentialism

PARTICULARISTIC UNIVERSAL
CONSEQUENTIALISM
also known as egoism, evaluates the considers the consequences of an
.. action on all parties involved,
morality of an action based only on how
it affects oneself or a specific group of regardless of their affiliations or
people, such as one's family or relationships. This approach aims to
community. In this approach, what is maximize overall well-being and
morally right or wrong depends on the minimize harm for all affected
consequences for the individual or the parties, rather than focusing on the
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limited group. benefit or harm to a specific group.

 Second talking point
Utilitarianism

02
is a well-known form of consequentialism, and it
takes a universal approach. Utilitarianism seeks to
maximize overall happiness or pleasure and
minimize overall suffering or pain for all parties
involved. Utilitarianism is considered an agent-
neutral theory, meaning it applies equally to
everyone and doesn't privilege any individual or
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group over others.

 To Understand Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory. It determines the morality of an

1 actions based on the consequences it produces.

Utilitarianism in a welfarist theory. The consequences that it considers to be

2 morally relevant are those that affect the welfare (or well-being) of persons.
“Welfare” may mean obtaining to a high or at least reasonable degree of
quality of life which on the whole a person wants or prefers to have.

Utilitarianism in an aggregationist theory. It considers to be morally relevant the

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3 maximus aggregate or sum total of welfare of all affected persons.

 To Understand Utilitarianism

to fully understand utilitarianism, it's important to

4 distinguish between the hedonistic utilitarianism of
Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Bentham's
version of utilitarianism focused solely on maximizing
pleasure and minimizing pain, while Mill's version took
into account higher pleasures, such as intellectual and
moral pleasures, and emphasized the importance of
individual rights.
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 Third talking point
The Principle of Utility

03
The principle of utility is a foundational concept in
the field of ethics, which proposes that the morality
of an action should be evaluated based on its ability
to promote happiness and reduce suffering. The
principle asserts that we should always act in a way
that maximizes happiness and minimizes pain, and
that the best way to do this is by producing the
greatest amount of happiness for the greatest
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number of people.
 In other words, the principle of utility suggests that
the ultimate goal of our actions should be to create

03
the greatest amount of pleasure and happiness for the
greatest number of people, while minimizing the
amount of pain and suffering that is experienced.
This means that when making ethical decisions, we
should consider the consequences of our actions and
choose the option that has the most positive impact
on the overall well-being of society. experienced.
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 The principle of utility is a key component of
the broader ethical theory known as

03
utilitarianism, which was developed by
philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart
Mill. While there are some differences between
Bentham's and Mill's versions of utilitarianism,
they both share the same basic principle of
maximizing happiness and minimizing pain.
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 Overall, the principle of utility provides a useful
framework for evaluating the morality of our
actions and making decisions that promote the

03
greater good. However, it is important to note
that there are many complexities and nuances to
ethical decision-making, and that the principle
of utility should be considered alongside other
moral and ethical principles when making
important choices.
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 Jeremy Bentham: Quantitative
Hedonistic Utilitarianism
Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) a British
philosopher and social reformer regarded as the
founder of utilitarianism a philosophy
advocating the greatest happiness of the
greatest number. Bentham was a social activist
arguing for the abolition of slavery and an early
advocate of animal rights and wrote numerous
reatises and works arguing for equality between
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the sexes, legal reform,

 ending corporal punishment and abolishing the
death penalty also played an influential role in
English radicalism and liberalism of the
Nineteenth Century. Bentham also support the
extending education to people of all classes and
religion, he is also considered the ‘spiritual
father’ of University College London (UCL).

In determining the moral preferability of actions,

Bentham provides a framework for evaluating
pleasure and pain common called as hedonistic
calculus or calculus of felicity.
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 Hedonistic calculus
The more intense the experience of pleasure, the
greater the value of the pleasure
Intensity
How intense is the pleasure or pain?

The longer the experience of pleasure, the

greater the value of pleasure.
Duration
How long the does the pleasure of pain
last?
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 Hedonistic calculus
The greater the probability that the desired pleasure will be
experienced, the greater the value of pleasure
Certainly
What is the probability that the pleasure of pain occur?

The shorter the temporal distance between an act and the

pleasure that it will produce, the greater the value of pleasure
Propinquity
(Remoteness) How far off in the future is the pleasure or pain?
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 Hedonistic calculus
The higher the probability an experience of pleasure will be
followed by further experiences of pleasure, the greater the
Fecundity value of pleasure.

What is the probability that the pleasure will lead to other

pleasures?

The higher the probability an experience of pleasure will

not be followed by further experiences of pain, the greater
the value of pleasure.
Purity
What is the probability that the pain will lead to other
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pain?
 Hedonistic calculus
The higher the number of persons to experience the
pleasure, the greater the value of the pleasure
Extent
How many persons are affected by the pleasure?

To illustrate, lets look at this case scenario:

Vhenise is at home lazing around and watching tv when her friends invite him on a party this weekend
but her boyfriend also invite her on a movie.

action A: go on her friends party

action B: go on her boyfriends movie date
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actions A and B have different kinds of pleasures varying degrees which can be measured by the
criteria of the hedonistic calculus. What would Vhenise would choose? lets assign numerical values to
each of the criteria in the calculus
 Action A Action B

Intensity 2 5

Duration 5 3

Certainly 3 4

Propinquity(Remoteness) 3 5

Fecundity 3 5

Purity 2 5

Extent 5 2

Total 23 29

In the above example, Action B "go on her boyfriends movie date" should be chosen by
Vhenise based on the calculus for it produces more pleasure than action B. If we are dealing
with actions that result in pleasure, the action that has the greater net total value of pleasure is
the morally good choice. While the criteria in the hedonistic calculus are expressed in terms of
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pleasure, they equally apply to pain. So, if we talk about actions that produces pain, the action
that results to lesser pain must be chosen.
 John Stewart Mill: Qualitative
Hedonistic Utilitarianism

John Stuart Mill was a prominent political

philosopher of the 19th century who advocated for
universal suffrage and equality for women. He was
a Utilitarian philosopher, seeking to maximize the
greatest happiness for the greatest number, and
refined the original Utilitarianism of Jeremy
Bentham. He is most remembered for his theory of
individual liberty and the right to freedom of
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speech.
 John Stuart Mill was born in London in 1806. His
father, James Mill, was a Scottish philosopher and
economist, who had important connections in the
intellectual world. John was educated by his father
and Jeremy Bentham, the leading exponent of
Utilitarian philosophy. His father had high hopes
for John's intellectual success and he exceeded his
expectations by becoming fluent in Latin and
Greek at the age of eight and studying important
economic ideas of the time.
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 John Stuart Mill believed that it is better to have a
higher quality of pleasure than a larger quantity of
pleasure. He argued that having too much of something
that is pleasurable could actually cause pain, using the
example of excessive eating or exercising. To determine
which pleasure is better, it is important to consider the
standards by which differences in pleasure can be
judged, and to experience both to see which one is
actually preferred. This contrasts with Jeremy
Bentham's view that the value of pleasure could be
determined solely by its intensity and duration, without
regard to its quality.
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 Mill’s qualitative hedonistic utilitarianism resulted from his responses
to certain objections to utilitarianism:

Objection 1: Utilitarianism allegedly endorses a “swinish doctrine,” for in

taking pleasure and pain as the only intrinsic good and evil, respectively, it in
effect put the value of human pleasures and animals on the same level as the
value of animal Pleasures and pain.

Mill’s Response: “It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig

satisfied; better to be a Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.” Mill asserts
that rationality (intellect and free will) is a higher faculty than sentience
(sensory experiences); mental pleasures are higher than bodily pleasures.
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 Mill’s qualitative hedonistic utilitarianism resulted from his responses
to certain objections to utilitarianism:

Objection 2: Utilitarianism is bound to fail because there is no objective way by

which we can decide on which type of pleasure is superior or more valuable than
other types.

Mill’s Response: An objective way to settle this issue is provided by the competent
judges on the relative values of pleasures. These competent judges are those who have
experienced the entire spectrum of pleasures. The competent judge who can
objectively say which between pleasure A and B is the superior pleasure is the person
who has experienced both pleasures.
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 Mill’s qualitative hedonistic utilitarianism resulted from his responses
to certain objections to utilitarianism:

Objection 3: Utilitarianism cannot account for the moral goodness of acts of

martyrdom or self-sacrifice. How can acts that renounce one’s pleasures (as in
the case of martyrdom) be morally good?

Mill’s Response: Mill clarifies that Utilitarianism is after the greatest

happiness of the greatest number of people, which will sometimes require
individuals to sacrifice their own personal happiness. Self-sacrifice is not
always morally good; it is only so when it promotes the greatest happiness
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principle.
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