Utilitarianism is a philosophical concept within the study of ethical behavior. It is correlated to a branch of philosophical ethics termed normative ethics1. Normative ethics is an examination of self-behavior; it attempts to define what makes an action morally sound. Utilitarianism asserts that the moral action is the one that maximizes utility. Utility can be defined in various ways, such as pleasure, financial security and lack of suffering3.
The two predominate figure heads of utilitarianism are Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mills (1806-1873). Bentham argued that ethics should seek to maximize pleasure and minimize suffering for the most people. Bentham believed the moral sense of an act could be deciphered based upon the answer to a simple question. Did the deed manifest the greatest good? Mills studied Bentham’s approach to utilitarianism and concluded that …show more content…
Utilitarianism does lack a rigid belief system. And there is no concrete consensus on the explanation of what exactly is good, and how does one go about achieving it. The Christians pose a strong point when they assert that no one should be left out when attempting to maximize the good and limit suffering. Striving for equality at the risk of failure is better than excepting the disenfranchisement of a group of people. Utilitarian’s may argue long term stability takes priority over the expense of a particular group’s short term happiness. However, there is a major problem with this perspective. As Christian’s have also pointed out there is no concrete definition of good. Therefore, long term stability may be perceived as monetary wealth or cultural fulfilment. The decision to follow either one of these paths will naturally create conflicting concepts between what is good and what is bad. Not to mention the short term suffering of an excluded group could become indefinite suffering as long as the majority remain
The two predominate figure heads of utilitarianism are Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mills (1806-1873). Bentham argued that ethics should seek to maximize pleasure and minimize suffering for the most people. Bentham believed the moral sense of an act could be deciphered based upon the answer to a simple question. Did the deed manifest the greatest good? Mills studied Bentham’s approach to utilitarianism and concluded that …show more content…
Utilitarianism does lack a rigid belief system. And there is no concrete consensus on the explanation of what exactly is good, and how does one go about achieving it. The Christians pose a strong point when they assert that no one should be left out when attempting to maximize the good and limit suffering. Striving for equality at the risk of failure is better than excepting the disenfranchisement of a group of people. Utilitarian’s may argue long term stability takes priority over the expense of a particular group’s short term happiness. However, there is a major problem with this perspective. As Christian’s have also pointed out there is no concrete definition of good. Therefore, long term stability may be perceived as monetary wealth or cultural fulfilment. The decision to follow either one of these paths will naturally create conflicting concepts between what is good and what is bad. Not to mention the short term suffering of an excluded group could become indefinite suffering as long as the majority remain