Utilitarianism. The father of utilitarianism is considered to be Jeremy Bentham, who believed the pleasure should be measured quantitively. For example, if ten people wanted to eat chocolate, and one person wanted to read Shakespeare

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Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that derives from the 18th century during the enlightenment period. It focuses on the principle of the greatest good for the greatest number, and therefore aims to provide maximum pleasure to the maximum number of people/animals. It is teleological, which comes from the Greek word “telos” meaning “ends”, and thus it is to do with the consequences of our actions, rather than the act itself. Utilitarianism is also relative, meaning there are no universal rules and each decision depends on the situation.

The father of utilitarianism is considered to be Jeremy Bentham, who believed the pleasure should be measured quantitively. For example, if ten people wanted to eat chocolate, and one person wanted to read Shakespeare, Bentham would say that everyone should eat chocolate. Another philosopher, John Stuart Mill, disagreed. He thought that pleasure should be measure qualitively. So in the above example, Mill would say that everyone should read Shakespeare, because he considered it more intellectual, and therefore the better quality pleasure. He said: “Better to be Socrates dissatisfied, than a fool satisfied”. This quote emphasises his belief that there are higher forms of pleasure; Socrates would see pleasure as seeking wisdom, while a fool may see pleasure as watching television.  

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Bentham thought that he could empirically and scientifically measure pleasure through a set of seven criteria. One of these criteria was duration – who long would the pleasure last? Another is certainty – how certain is it that you will actually gain pleasure? Bentham said that the calculus was universal and could be used in all situations. For example, if a woman was due to go on a skiing trip but found she was pregnant, she could go through the seven criteria to work whether to go on the skiing trip or get an abortion. She would see that ...

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