Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is a moral philosophy based around the idea that humans act in ways that increase happiness and avoid pain. One of the major founders of the philosophy was Jeremy Bentham, who expounded the idea in his work An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, published in 1789. In 1863, John Stuart Mill wrote the essay, “Utilitarianism,” as a defense of Bentham’s ideas. In the essay, Mill argues that utilitarianism is not opposed to pleasure, as many presume, but rather seeks to increase pleasure and happiness. As the ultimate goal of human actions are to increase their happiness, Mill believes that it is morally good to act in ways that increase happiness and limit pain or harm. Mill is careful to note that utilitarianism is concerned less with individual pleasure than with societal happiness. Utilitarianism is a philosophy concerned ultimately with the welfare of all of society; individual happiness matters only to the extent that it does not cause harm to other individuals.

The Utility Principle, also referred to as the principle of utility and the “greatest happiness principle,” is the core idea of utilitarianism. The principle states that “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (121).