What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Utilitarianism?

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What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Utilitarianism?

"Goodness means the greatest happiness of the greatest number"

This claim is the single most important teaching of utilitarianism, as the principle of utility. Utilitarianism is a nineteenth century ethical theory most often attributed to Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. They adopted the principle that goodness is identified by actions, which produce the greatest total pleasure for everyone involved or affected by the consequences. Wrong actions are those, which do not produce the greatest total pleasure for everyone involved. However, it was at this point that Mill made an important change to this 'pleasure principle'. He replaced 'pleasure' with 'happiness' and it is his definition, which has become the commonly adopted principle of Utilitarianism.

The principle is a consequentiality theory, which holds that actions are made right or wrong by what happens after the action occurs- the consequences. The principle claims that we should choose the action most likely to bring about the greatest happiness of the greatest number. For example in one set of circumstances action A may be the most appropriate, while under other circumstances action B might bring more happiness to more people. Therefore, an action is justified in terms of its usefulness in any one particular case. The theory is therefore one of universal ethical hedonism. If an action brings or increases pleasure (happiness) then it is right. Bentham proposed the 'Hedonic calculus' to calculate the most pleasurable action. Seven elements are taken into consideration; the intensity, duration, certainty, remoteness, choice of there being further pleasures, purity (not followed by pain) and extent of the pleasure. It would therefore be theoretically possible to calculate whom it was morally right to rescue first from a fire; a child, a pregnant woman, an old man or a scientist who possesses the formula for the ultimate cure for cancer.
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John Stuart Mill developed the principle by referring to qualitative rather than quantitative pleasure. Mill was concerned that Bentham's theory was limited to the law and the lawmakers and primarily concerned with promoting pleasure. Thus he set about introducing a version of the theory of utility for the common person, which also substituted 'pleasure' for happiness "the greatest happiness for the greatest number" and moved from mere quantity to involving the quality of happiness as well. He argued that pleasures of the mind should take priority over physical pleasures and that, since basic human requirements for survival were ...

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