To denote any theory of ethics that holds that

the consequence of an action, not the motivation

behind the action, makes the action good or bad.

G.E.M. Anscombe 1958

 Is a consequentialist moral theory that says that
the right decision is the one that causes the most
happiness.
Father of the utilitarianism
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) regarded as
its strongest proponent.
-Says that one ought to do that which causes the
greatest utility

-Utility in this case means maximizing

happiness in the world.
-According to Bentham:
-utilitarianism is motivated by the greatest
happiness principle.

-According to Mill:
-happiness is...pleasure and the absence of
painwhereas unhappiness means pain and
the absence of pleasure.
1. Act Utilitarianism
2. Rule Utilitarianism
Each ethical choice is evaluated according to
whether or not the action taken maximizes
happiness, compared to the other option.
The process of calculating which action will lead
to the greatest happiness.
 Some pleasures are different from others in quality,
and so count either more or less than others.
Its is hard to know whether a particular action will
actually make another person happier or not.
Many decisions affect thousands or millions of
peolple for dozens or hundreds of years, which
makes their impact on total happiness very hard to
estimate.
Application
a. Suppose your friend has a valuable antique.
She does not knnow it is valuable and throws
it away. Would you then be at liberty to take it
from her trash can? After all, to do so would
not decrease her happiness because she has
no knowledge of the articles value. Support
your answer using an act of utilitarian
argument.
We select a set of rules, and each act is evaluated
as to whether it conforms to them.
1. Do not kill.
2. Do not cause pain.
3. Do not disable.
4. Do not deprive of freedom
5. Do not deprive of pleasure
6. Do not deceive
7. Keep your promises
8. Do not cheat
9. Obey the law
10. Do your duty.
Happiness is the only moral good.
Morality is the maximization of total
happiness.
The consequences of an action are more
important than the motivation behind the action
when evaluating whether or not the action was
morally correct.
Pleasure should not be interpreted necessarily
as physical pleasure. Mental pleasure and
emotional pleasure are included.
There are two major kinds of utilitarianism:
Act Utilitarianism: each act is to be
evaluated morally according to the
degree to which it increases or
decreases overall human happiness.
The moral act is the one that
maximizes happiness.
There are two major kinds of utilitarianism:
Rule Utilitarianism: rules are
established that when followed by
everyone will result in maximizing
happiness. Although a particular act,
when done according to a rule, may
not maximize happiness, the overall
result, when the rules are followed will
maximize happiness.
Application
a. Suppose you are in a lifeboat with several
other act utilitarians. The lifeboat is
overloaded and so the heaviest people in boat
are thrown overboard until the lifeboat is no
longer overloaded. Was that a moral act?
Explain.
Is a theory that focuses on rights, duties,
obligation and rules.
Says that Nothing...[can] be called good
without qualification except a good will

A good will is the will of the person to

act solely according to a code of
morality based purely in reason.
 The Categorical Imperative
- is a rule that must always be
followed by all rational beings.
1. Universal Law of Nature Act only
according to maxims (principles) that
could be adopted as universal laws.
2. Principle of the end in itself treat
humans, both yourself and others,
always as ends in themselves, and
never merely as a means to an end.
The only good is the good will.
Each act is to be evaluated as to
whether it is consistent with the good
will.
Consistency with the good will is
established by the categorical
imperative
The categorical imperative has more
than one formulation:
Universal Law of Nature Act only
according to maxims (principles) that
could be adopted as universal laws.
Principle of the end in itself treat
humans, both yourself and others,
always as ends in themselves, and
never merely as a means to an end.
Application
a. Suppose student A asks to copy student Bs
paper, and student B agrees. Using the
principle of the end in itself, argue that both
students (not just student A) have acted
immorally.
b. Consider the maxim it is always morally
acceptable to lie. in the spirit of the universal
law of nature, prove that this maxim cannot
be universally adopted. (hint: if everyone lied
wenever it was convinient, would lying still be
useful?)