Utilitarian Ethics (Chapter 4: Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill)

Jeremy Bentham

- Believed that the happiness of individuals is what matters most.

- He proposed the principle of "the greatest happiness for the greatest number" as the guiding principle for ethical decision-making.

- Believed that we should always act in a way that brings the most overall happiness to the most people.

John Stuart Mill

- A follower of Bentham

- Added to Bentham's ideas by the quality of happiness rather than just the quantity.

- Argued that some forms of happiness are more valuable than others, and that we should consider the long-term consequences of our actions when making ethical decisions

Utilitarian Ethics

● Focuses on the consequences of our actions

● According to this theory, an action is considered morally right if it leads to the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people

1. Greatest Happiness Principle

2. Consequentialism

3. Hedonistic Calculus

4. Rule Utilitarianism

Key Concepts of Utilitarian Ethics

Greatest Happiness Principle

- The moral worth of an action is determined by the amount of happiness it brings to the greatest number of people.

Consequentialism

- Focuses on the outcomes or consequences of our actions, rather than the intentions behind them.

Hedonistic Calculus

- Developed by Bentham to weigh the pleasure and pain that different actions may bring.

- It considers factors such as intensity, duration, certainty, and propinquity when assessing the overall happiness that an action may generate.

Rule Utilitarianism

- Introduced by Mill

- Suggests that we should follow general rules that promote overall happiness rather than examining each individual decision separately

1. Research Ethics

2. Treatment Choices

3. Public Policy

Application of Utilitarian Ethics in Psychology

Research Ethics

- When conducting research involving human participants, psychologists must weigh the potential benefits against the risks and potential harm.

- Utilitarian Ethics can help psychologists determine whether the potential benefits of the research outweigh the potential harm to the participants.

Treatment Choices

- In therapy, psychologists sometimes face difficult decisions about the best course of action for their clients.

- Utilitarian Ethics can help psychologists consider the overall well-being of their clients, weighing the potential benefits of different treatment options and choosing the one that maximizes happiness.

Public Policy

- Utilitarian Ethics can also inform public policy decisions related to mental health, education, and other areas.

- Policy-makers can use this theory to evaluate the potential impact of different policies on the overall happiness of the population