Key Features of utilitarianism and its weaknesses.

The Theory of Utilitarianism comes from its name from the Latin word ‘Utilis’, meaning ‘useful’. It was first developed by Jeremy Bentham, Philosopher and legal theorist of the 18th century. Bentham produced a modern approach of morality which would suit the changing world of the industrial age. This was also the era of enlightenment. Utilitarianism can be regarded as a consequentialist and teleological system of ethics, providing no strict moral rules but judging an action by its consequence or end result.

Bentham believed in Francis Hutcheson’s belief which is known as the utility principle (the greatest good for the greatest number)and argued that one should maximise happiness for the majority and that happiness is equated with moral goodness. This identified Bentham as a ‘Hedonist’, sing he look ed at humans as being primarily motivated by pleasure and avoidance of pain.

Bentham put forward what he regarded as a scientific and empical process for making moral decisions, known as the ‘hedonic calculus’ which he brought reason and evidence to the field of ethics. This consisted of sever key ccriteria which a person must consider when making a moral choice:
- intensity
- duration
- certainty
- propquity
- fecundity
- purity
- extent ( on how people feel)

Later in the 19th century, John Stuart mill modified his theory. Mill was a leading politician and philosopher of his day. He advocated radical causes such as equality of woman. He looked at utilitarianism differently but as an important but flawed approach to ethics. While Bentham has regarded all pleasures as ‘commensurate’ (they are all equal or equivalent), mill distinguished between higher and lower pleasures. Higher being those which engaged the mind such as music or poetry, whereas lower pleasures would be those which merely the boy and