Bentham established a Hedonic calculus by which happiness could be measured, the hedonic calculus was split up into six categories; duration, intensity, remoteness, purity, richness, and extent. Using this calculus, Bentham believed that it was possible to measure the amount of pleasure or pain that an action will bring about. This became known as act utilitarianism. The prime consideration when carrying out an action is the amount of happiness or pleasure that will ensue from the action. Laws or rules are of secondary importance.
The problems with this theory is that pleasure cannot be quantified, and that pleasure is not the same for everyone, so we can therefore not measure the amount of pleasure or pain an action will cause when regarding another person, and it is impossible to calculate or predict the amount of pleasure of pain any action will brig about as the consequences cannot be predicted.
Evaluate a utilitarian approach to genetic engineering
By its very definition Utilitarianism judges all actions in terms of their utility in providing the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. So therefore when considering the act of genetic engineering a utilitarian such as Bentham would question the amount of pleasure verses the pain caused by the action, with the consequences being immaterial.
Jeremy Bentham was concerned with the pleasure and pain caused by an action, and so therefore in a discussion regarding genetic engineering we can assume, (as nothing can be proved as he was writing during the industrial revolution long before the development of genetic engineering) that Bentham would consider the act itself and try and predict how this would affect the lives of people, causing them either greater pleasure of pain.
Mill a student of Bentham was, however more concerned with the intellectual pleasures of an action, and not the physical pleasured described by Bentham. It would be fair to assume that as regards genetic engineering as a Utilitarian Mill would agree that for the greatest good for the greatest number, genetic engineering despite the potential pain caused, it has the power and potential to do a great deal of good and help a lot of people thus causing great happiness both physical and intellectual.
