Mill's Principle of Utility Flashcards
_____________ has its roots in the broader philosophy of utilitarianism, which can be traced back to Jeremy Bentham.
John Stuart Mill’s principle of utility
an English philosopher and jurist, developed the principle of utility 1789.
Jeremy Bentham
he argued that the morality of
an action is determined by its ability to maximize
happiness or pleasure and minimize pain for the
greatest number of individuals.
Jeremy Bentham
Mill, who was heavily influenced by Bentham, expanded
upon the principle of utility in his own work “Utilitarianism,”
published in ______.
1863
focuses on the idea that actions are morally right if they promote happiness or pleasure and morally wrong if they lead to unhappiness or pain.
Mill’s principle of utility, also known as utilitarianism
This ethical framework seeks to maximize overall happiness for the greatest number of individuals, emphasizing the well-being of society as a whole.
utilitarianism
Mill introduces the concept of higher and lower pleasures,
suggesting that intellectual and moral pleasures should be
prioritized over mere physical pleasures in the pursuit of the
greatest good.
An act is right if and only if it results in at least as much overall well-being as any act the agent could have performed. In other words, in any situation, an agent acts rightly if she maximizes overall well-being, and wrongly if she does not.
ACT UTILITARIANISM
considers the consequences of some particular act such as keeping or breaking one’s promise.
ACT UTILITARIANISM
considers the consequences of some practice or rule behavior— for example, the practice of promise-keeping or promise-breaking.
RULE UTILITARIANISM
is interested in the goodness or badness of the moral rule that the action follows and prioritizes good general rules
over the particular consequences of a given action.
RULE UTILITARIANISM
TWO VERSIONS OF UTILITARIANISM
ACT UTILITARIANISM
RULE UTILITARIANISM
looks at the future impacts of
potential actions, considering direct and indirect effects on
people. It aims to achieve the best consequences, focusing on
what outcomes are desirable in a given situation.
Consequentialist Framework