1. Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a relative ethical theory It based on the concept of utility Utilitarianism is a teleological/consequentialist theory Key thinkers – Bentham and Mill Key quote “greatest good for the greatest number”

2. The Hedonic Calculus! Jeremy Bentham Utility Calculus Quantitative Measure Seven Criteria

3. Act Utilitarianism In act-utilitarianism, you are required to promote those acts which will result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people. For example the consequences of the act of giving money to charity would be considered right in act-utilitarianism, because the money increases the happiness of many people, rather than just yourself.

4. Bentham was a hedonist – he thought that good and bad could be measured in terms of simple quantities of pleasure\pain. Pleasure and pain were the sole good and evil, and as human beings we pursue pleasure and avoid pain.

5. His principle of utility could judge an action on the amount of pleasure\pain it causes. He believed that everyone’s pleasure\pain was equal, and the most right action was the one that created the most pleasure for the most people. He lived in a time in which science was becoming increasingly popular and thus he devised the hedonistic/hedonic calculus – a system of calculating how good an action is

6. The Calculus Duration (how long it lasts) Remoteness(how soon is it going to occur?). Purity (how free from pain is it) Richness (to what extent it will lead to other pleasures) Intensity (how powerful is it) Certainty (probability of experience occurring). Extent (how many people are affected).