Lecturing on an eminent victorian at the height of the vietnam war, stuart hampshire passes this telling judgment on the state of contemporary utilitarianism. He did not invent it, but adopted it from a passing expression in mr. Utilitarianism and public justification journal of social philosophy 44 20. It addresses the meaning of ethical terms such as right, duty, obligation, justification, morality, responsibility. Utilitarianism is the ethical norm that results from this hedonistic philosophy. Beyond ethics or morality, utilitarian assumptions and arguments abound in modern economic and political life, especially in public policy. Utilitarianism, the great reforming philosophy of the nineteenth century, has today acquired the reputation for being a crassly calculating, impersonal philosophy unfit to serve as a guide to moral conduct. John stuart mills book utilitarianism is one of the most influential and widelyread philosophical defenses of utilitarianism in ethics. Aimed at undergraduates, contemporary ethics presupposes little or no familiarity with ethics and is written in a clear and engaging style.
Feb 24, 2009 utilitarianism is the ethical norm that results from this hedonistic philosophy. Utilitarianism a philosophy based on the principle of the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people has been hugely influential over the past two centuries. Utilitarians may, however, distinguish the aptness of praising or blaming an agent from whether the act was right. Henceforth, the development in the theories of utilitarianism in the 20th century has replicated a form of consequentialism. Utilitarianism is a theory in ethics that believes in the maximization of things for the benefit of the whole society. The multiplication of happiness is, according to the utilitarian ethics, the object of virtue. Mill and the diversity of utilitarianism daniel jacobson the central thesis of this paper is that mills conception of utilitarianism was much broader than current philosophical usage allows. The classical utilitarians bentham and mill download ebook.
This philosophy states that the morality of an action is best judged by the utility or. The history of utilitarianism stanford encyclopedia of. Utilitarianism and libertarianism views on public policy issues philosophy essay. Welfare should, in some way, be maximized, and agents are to be neutral between their own welfare, and that of other people and of other sentient beings. The main problem is the relevance of utilitarian strategies for the present stage of development. Both kantianism and utilitarianism are ethical theories that express the ethical standard of an action. In this conception, public philosophy is a matter of content, not style. I we can give an easy model of the value of an action. Yet what may disqualify utilitarianism as a personal philosophy makes it an eminently suitable guide for public officials in the pursuit of their professional responsibilities. Feb 01, 2004 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Utilitarianism, in normative ethics, a tradition stemming from the late 18th and 19thcentury english philosophers and economists jeremy bentham and john stuart mill according to which an action is right if it tends to promote happiness and wrong if it tends to produce the reverse of happiness.
Utilitarianism, in normative ethics, a tradition stemming from the late 18th and 19thcentury english philosophers and economists jeremy bentham and john stuart mill according to which an action is right if it tends to promote happiness and wrong if it tends to produce the reverse of happinessnot just the happiness of the performer of the action but also that of everyone affected by it. Utilitarianism the fundamental principle of utilitarianism is the principle of utility. Utilitarianism 7 as well as truth and falsehood, are questions of observation and experience. The essay first appeared as a series of three articles published in frasers magazine in 1861. After using it as a designation for several years, he and others abandoned it from a growing dislike to anything resembling a badge or watchword of sectarian distinction. The book leads students through a number of current issues in contemporary ethics that are connected to. The project gutenberg ebook of utilitarianism, by john stuart. Utilitarianism as a public philosophy cambridge studies in. Public philosophy is a label used for at least two separate philosophical projects. In a series of essays, goodin argues that utilitarianism is the best philosophy for public decisionmaking even if it fails as an ethic for personal aspects of life. Ethics four branches 3 metaethics the study of ethical terms, statements and judgements.
Pdf john stuart mills utilitarianism and the social. The original utilitarian ideas come from jeremy bentham 1748. Utilitarianism as a public philosophy chapter 1 utilitarianism as a. The ethical theory of john stuart mill 18061873 is most extensively articulated in his classical text utilitarianism 1861. These notions were formulated as a moral philosophy to pro vide an ethical.
I some utilitarians even allow for there to be quanti able units of pain and pleasure. The principle of utility the morally right action is the one that produces the best overall consequences with regard to the utility or welfare of all the affected parties. Goodin, a philosopher with many books on political theory, public policy and applied ethics to his credit, defends utilitarianism against its critics and shows how it can be applied most effectively over a wide range of public policies. How does utilitarianism and libertarianism view the public policy issues on economic inequality, homosexual conduct, and abortion. Utilitarianism as a public philosophy cambridge studies in philosophy and public policy 9780521468060.
The classical utilitarians bentham and mill download. It provides students with a sympathetic but critical guide to utilitarianism, explaining its different forms and exploring the debates it has spawned. Goodin defends utilitarianism and shows how it can serve as an excellent guide to public policy makers. Discussions of a wide range of public issuespaternalism, social welfare policy, international ethics, nuclear armaments, and international responses to the environment crisisdemonstrate the flexibility of utilitarianism in confronting the real world dilemmas of public policy. Utilitarianism, determines the moral worth of any given action with regards to its resultant outcomes. Today it is most famously associated with the 18th century english philosopher jeremy bentham, and his disciple john stuart mill. Beyond ethics or morality, utilitarian assumptions and arguments abound in modern. Utilitarian assessment decides, basically, whether something is acceptable from a general point of view that combines those of all individuals. The main difference between kantianism and utilitarianism is that kantianism is a deontological moral theory whereas utilitarianism is a teleological moral theory both kantianism and utilitarianism are ethical theories that express the ethical standard of an action.
Goodin published on 19950526 by cambridge university press. Waypers analysis of utilitarianism we find the following observation. From the dawn of philosophy, the question concerning the summum bonum, or, what is the same thing, concerning the foundation of morality, has been accounted the main problem in speculative thought, has occupied the most gifted intellects, and divided them into sects and schools, carrying on a vigorous warfare against one an. But on closer examination, it appears to be applied to several distinct theories, having no necessary connexion with one. The main difference between kantianism and utilitarianism is that kantianism is a deontological moral theory whereas utilitarianism is a teleological moral theory. The theory of utilitarianism explained with examples. Download utilitarianism as a public philosophy books pdf free. However, these two philosophies take on different standpoints on ethics. In the first chapters, goodin establish excellent arguments that utilitarianism is uncontroversial at the level of public policy. Goodin, a philosopher with many books on political theory, public policy and applied ethics to his credit, defends utilitarianism against its critics and shows. Utilitarianism is a family of consequentialist ethical theories that promotes actions that maximize happiness and wellbeing for the affected individuals. First, the issue of economic inequality, the utilitarians believe that if something is benefiting the whole of the population, it is considered good. A utilitarian philosophy is used when making social, economic or. The idea of utilitarianism is tightly intertwined with the philosophy of consequentialism.
Utilitarianism is one of the most powerful and persuasive approaches to normative ethics in the history of philosophy. The project gutenberg ebook of utilitarianism, by john. The term was coined by anscombe, in his scholarly works in modern moral philosophy anscombe, 1958, pp. Utilitarianism as an ethical theory journal of ethics in mental. The philosophy of utilitarianism can trace its origins back thousands of years to the ancient chinese philosophy of logic attributed to the mohist school. Utilitarianism routledge encyclopedia of philosophy. Goodin provides a strong defense of a utilitarian approach to public policy issues in utilitarianism as a public philosophy cambridge. What is the difference between kantianism and utilitarianism. Utilitarianism considered both as a theory of personal morality and a theory of public choice. Utilitarianism john stuart mill mcmaster faculty of social. Analysis of the language, concepts and methods of resoning in ethics. The term utilitarianism is, at the present day, in common use, and is supposed to designate a doctrine or method with which we are all familiar.
General remarks little progress has been made towards deciding the controversy concerning the criterion of right and wrong. British utilitarianism was a school of moral thought which set out to do good in the world, even though it was only a philosophy. Buy utilitarianism as a public philosophy cambridge studies in philosophy and public policy by goodin, robert e. Central to these arguments are that traditional antiutilitarian arguments which i have personally never found to be very strong such as the immeasurability of utility, utilitarian monsters, paretoundecided situations, etc. Utilitarianism, act and rule internet encyclopedia of. Utilitarianism in business can lead to a bottomline mentality in which decisions are based on achieving the greatest good for the organization as it pertains to the greatest number of stakeholders, including shareholders and all others affected by the actions of the organization the outcome is the determining factor, not the intent of the. But both hold equally that morality must be deduced from principles. Utilitarianism holds that whats ethical or moral is whatever maximizes total happiness while minimizing total pain. A philosophy that bases the moral worth of an action upon the number of people it gives happiness or pleasure to.
Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Daniel jacobson is associate professor of philosophy at bowling green state university. One project often called public philosophy is to address issues of public importance through philosophy, especially in the areas of public policy, morality and social issues. Pdf this paper considers the writings of john stuart mill in political philosophy and political economy as a prototype for ideals of a sustainable. Utilitarianism john stuart mill mcmaster faculty of.
Though there are many varieties of the view discussed, utilitarianism is generally. Traces of utilitarian thought can be found in the works of plato and aristotle, but not until the eighteenth century did utilitarianism truly begin to emerge as a welldefined and. Utilitarianism and libertarianism views on public policy. Robert goodin is a political philosopher at the research school of social sciences of the australian national university. The utilitarianism of bentham and mill is hedonistic because it measures the goodness and badness of an act according to how it maximizes pleasure and minimizes pain. Utilitarianism is a theory about rightness, according to which the only good thing is welfare wellbeing or utility.
The author of this essay has reason for believing himself to be the first person who brought the word utilitarian into use. Pdf john stuart mills utilitarianism and the social ethics. Utilitarianism also differs from ethical theories that make the rightness or wrongness of an act dependent upon the motive of the agent, for, according to the utilitarian, it is possible for the right thing to be done from a bad motive. Shapiro, robert goodin, utilitarianism as a public. Utilitarianism pronounced yootillihtareeeenism is one of the main schools of thought in modern ethics also known as moral philosophy. Among all the facts about the present condition of human knowledge, the state of this controversy is most unlike what might. Its goal is to justify the utilitarian principle as the foundation of morals. Librivox recording of utilitarianism, by john stuart mill. Utilitarianism i the most common form of consequentialism is utilitarianism i utilitarianism combines consequentialism with the claim that the only valuable consequence is pleasure, and the only disvaluable consequence is pain. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different characterizations, the basic idea behind all of them is to in some sense maximize utility, which is often defined in terms of wellbeing or related concepts. Utilitarianism as a public philosophy cambridge university press. Though not fully articulated until the 19 th century, protoutilitarian positions can be discerned throughout the history of ethical theory. This principle says actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote overall human happiness.