Explain Bentham’s version of Utilitarianism
By Marc Bye
Utilitarianism is the idea that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its contribution to overall utility: that is, its contribution to happiness or pleasure as summed among all persons. It is thus a form of consequentialism, meaning that the moral worth of an action is determined by its outcome: put simply, the ends justify the means. Utility, the good to be maximized, has been defined by various thinkers as happiness or pleasure (versus sadness or pain). Originally described by the phrase "the greatest good for the greatest number" (known as the utility principle), its advocates eventually dropped "the greatest number" (leaving the often quoted “greater good” and rejecting Bentham’s democratic idealism). Utilitarianism can thus be characterized as a quantitative and reductionist approach to ethics. It can be contrasted with deontological ethics (which do not regard the consequences of an act as the sole determinant of its moral worth).
