This article discusses utilitarian ethical and philosophical theory. For John Stuart Mill's book, see Utilitarianism (book). For the architectural theory, see Form follows function.
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Utilitarianism
Predecessors
Mozi
Śāntideva
David Hume
Claude Adrien Helvétius
Cesare Beccaria
William Godwin
Francis Hutcheson
William Paley
Key proponents
Jeremy Bentham
John Stuart Mill
Henry Sidgwick
R. M. Hare
Peter Singer
Types of utilitarianism
Negative
Rule
Act
Two-level
Total
Average
Preference
Classical
Key concepts
Pain
Suffering
Pleasure
Utility
Happiness
Eudaimonia
Consequentialism
Equal consideration
Felicific calculus
Utilitarian social choice rule
Problems
Demandingness objection
Mere addition paradox
Paradox of hedonism
Replaceability argument
Utility monster
Related topics
Rational choice theory
Game theory
Neoclassical economics
Population ethics
Effective altruism
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In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for the affected individuals.[1][2] In other words, utilitarian ideas encourage actions that ensure the greatest good for the greatest number. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different characterizations, the basic idea behind all of them is, in some sense, to maximize utility, which is often defined in terms of well-being or related concepts. For instance, Jeremy Bentham, the founder of utilitarianism, described utility thus:
That property in any object, whereby it tends to produce benefit, advantage, pleasure, good, or happiness ... [or] to prevent the happening of mischief, pain, evil, or unhappiness to the party whose interest is considered.
Utilitarianism is a version of consequentialism, which states that the consequences of any action are the only standard of right and wrong. Unlike other forms of consequentialism, such as egoism and altruism, utilitarianism considers either the interests of all humanity and/or all sentient beings equally. Proponents of utilitarianism have disagreed on a number of issues, such as whether actions should be chosen based on their likely results (act utilitarianism), or whether agents should conform to rules that maximize utility (rule utilitarianism). There is also disagreement as to whether total utility (total utilitarianism) or average utility (average utilitarianism) should be maximized.
The seeds of the theory can be found in the hedonists Aristippus and Epicurus who viewed happiness as the only good, the consequentialism of the ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi who developed a theory to maximize benefit and minimize harm, and in the work of the medieval Indian philosopher Śāntideva. The tradition of modern utilitarianism began with Jeremy Bentham, and continued with such philosophers as John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick, R. M. Hare, and Peter Singer. The concept has been applied towards social welfare economics, questions of justice, the crisis of global poverty, the ethics of raising animals for food, and the importance of avoiding existential risks to humanity.
In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for the affected...
1467-9213.2009.609.x. Bykvist, Krister (2009). "7. Is utilitarianism too demanding?". Utilitarianism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Continuum. Singer, Peter...
Rule utilitarianism is a form of utilitarianism that says an action is right as it conforms to a rule that leads to the greatest good, or that "the rightness...
Preference utilitarianism (also known as preferentialism) is a form of utilitarianism in contemporary philosophy. Unlike value monist forms of utilitarianism, preferentialism...
Negative utilitarianism is a form of negative consequentialism that can be described as the view that people should minimize the total amount of aggregate...
opposition to unlimited state and social control. Mill was a proponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by his predecessor Jeremy Bentham. He contributed...
Historically, hedonistic utilitarianism is the paradigmatic example of a consequentialist moral theory. This form of utilitarianism holds that what matters...
Act utilitarianism is a utilitarian theory of ethics that states that a person's act is morally right if and only if it produces the best possible results...
philosopher, jurist, and social reformer regarded as the founder of modern utilitarianism. Bentham defined as the "fundamental axiom" of his philosophy the principle...
variations of utilitarianism, including the difference between act and rule utilitarianism and between maximizing and satisficing utilitarianism. Deontology...
an action is right or wrong. Classical theories in this vein include utilitarianism, Kantianism, and some forms of contractarianism. These theories mainly...
possible duties we may think of. A specific type of consequentialism is utilitarianism, which says that the consequences that matter are those that affect...
Essex, with his wife. Sidgwick summarizes his position in ethics as utilitarianism "on an Intuitional basis". This reflects, and disputes, the rivalry...
This is an incomplete list of advocates of utilitarianism and/or consequentialism. Epicurus Lucretius Mozi Roger Bacon Richard Cumberland: 104–106 John...
Wealth of Nations, and on a belief in natural law, social progress, and utilitarianism. In contemporary times, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Ludwig von...
Average and total utilitarianism (also called averagism and totalism) are variants of utilitarianism that seek to maximize the average or total amount...
Form follows function is a principle of design associated with late 19th- and early 20th-century architecture and industrial design in general, which states...
related to animal rights and animal welfare, and R. M. Hare's two-level utilitarianism. At the time of his death, he was an emeritus professor in the department...
ethical theory of utilitarianism, a moral philosophy first used by Jeremy Bentham and later by John Stuart Mill in his short work Utilitarianism. Various styles...
Adverse possession, sometimes colloquially described as "squatter's rights",[dubious – discuss] is a legal principle in common law under which a person...
common political and ethical motivations for formal punishment are utilitarianism and retributivism. Both these concepts have been articulated by law-makers...
English philosopher John Stuart Mill. It applied Mill's ethical system of utilitarianism to society and state. Mill suggested standards for the relationship...
Russian nihilism. In the novel, Dostoevsky pinpointed the dangers of both utilitarianism and rationalism, the main ideas of which inspired the radicals, continuing...
While the basic notion that utilitarianism builds on seems simple, one major dispute within the school of utilitarianism revolved around the conceptualisation...
g. Hume) continued to emphasise the virtues, with the ascendancy of utilitarianism and deontological ethics, virtue theory moved to the margins of Western...
"person who's likely to cause unwanted things (like suffering)". So, utilitarianism could recommend punishment that changes someone such that they are less...
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