Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism

A moral philosophy suggesting the best action maximizes overall happiness or utility.

Greatest Good

The goal of utilitarianism to bring about the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Consequentialism

The moral philosophy where the worth of an action is determined by its outcomes.

Hedonism

A focus within utilitarianism on pleasure and the avoidance of pain as central to happiness.

Hedonic Calculator

A tool used to measure pleasure and pain to determine which actions create the most happiness.

Impartiality in Utilitarianism

Treating everyone's happiness equally without prioritizing personal relationships or individual interests.

Subjective Happiness

The notion that happiness means different things to different people, complicating its measurement.

Critique of Utilitarianism

Critics argue utilitarianism may justify harmful actions to individuals if overall benefits to society are greater.

Application of Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism applies to ethical dilemmas in areas like public policy, medical ethics, and personal choices.

Calculating Total Happiness

The process of adding pleasure scores and subtracting pain scores to find net happiness for options.