Utilitarianism
Greatest happiness doctrine
Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that the right action is whichever produces the greatest good for the greatest number.
An act's morality depends entirely on its consequences—specifically, whether it maximizes overall happiness or well-being.
The doctrine is associated with philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
In casual use, utilitarian describes practical, functional approaches that prioritize usefulness over aesthetics or sentiment: The building's design was purely utilitarian.
Ethics judging by results
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
- BenthamUtilitarian ethics founder
- MillVictorian ethicist's surname
- hedonismPursuit of gratification
morality · felicific calculus · normative · teleological · moral philosophy · pleasure · pain · welfare
Fair treatment under law
- rightsJustified claims to freedoms
- dignityInnate personal worth
- deontologyMorality based on obligations
- KantianismDuty-centered moral philosophy
exploitation · minorities · ends justify means · trolley problem · calculating · cold · impersonal · reductionism
Adopted principle of action
- public healthCommunity-level disease prevention
- animal welfareNon-human health and treatment
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
- triageSeverity-based prioritization
resource allocation · bioethics · pandemic response · charity · existential risk · interventions · prioritization · evidence-based
Maximum possible well-being
- cost-benefitComparing expenditure to return
- maximizationAchieving greatest possible amount
- aggregateCombined sum total
- quantificationExpressing something numerically
hedonic · measurement · outcomes · consequences · tradeoffs · optimization · efficiency · expected value
consequentialism
Ethics judging by results
hedonism · morality · felicific calculus · normative · teleological · moral philosophy · pleasure · pain · welfare · impartiality
justice
Fair treatment under law
- rightsJustified claims to freedoms
- dignityInnate personal worth
- deontologyMorality based on obligations
Kantianism · exploitation · minorities · ends justify means · trolley problem · calculating · cold · impersonal · reductionism · instrumentalism
policy
Adopted principle of action
- public healthCommunity-level disease prevention
- animal welfareNon-human health and treatment
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
triage · resource allocation · bioethics · pandemic response · charity · existential risk · interventions · prioritization · evidence-based · social reform
greatest happiness
Maximum possible well-being
- cost-benefitComparing expenditure to return
- maximizationAchieving greatest possible amount
- aggregateCombined sum total
quantification · hedonic · measurement · outcomes · consequences · tradeoffs · optimization · efficiency · expected value · sum total
- Great BooksMeditations, Leviathan, The Prince, Utopia, Walden
- Moral TextsNicomachean Ethics, Republic, Meditations, treatise, sermon
Utilitarianismdeontology
Morality based on obligations
Kantianism · categorical imperative · Aristotelianism · Stoicism · intuitionism
Utilitarianismindividualism
Doctrine of personal independence
egoism · libertarianism · self-interest · personalism · personal integrity
utilitarian, utilitarians, utility, utilities, utilize, utilizes, utilized, utilizing, utilization