Utilitarianism
Created | Updated Mar 16, 2002
Utilitarianism is a philosphical scheme of Government dreamt up by Jeremy Bentham, and later developed by John Stuart Mill.
Its fundamental tenet is that whichever actions will result in the greatest amount of utility or happiness to the most people are the correct actions This is ascertained by performing a 'felicific calculus', weighing up the benefits and disadvantages of each possible decision in a quasi-scientific manner.
This sounds great, if a bit long-winded when trying to decide whether to have tea of coffee. However, Utilitarianism, if logically applied, condones actions which most people would find repugnant, such as the persecution of minorities, and the theory now has very few serious proponents.
Bentham himself was so determined to be a paragon of utility that he requested that, after his death, he be stuffed and put on public display in University College London. He resides there to this very day, though it is frankly difficult to see what use he is to anybody.
Its fundamental tenet is that whichever actions will result in the greatest amount of utility or happiness to the most people are the correct actions This is ascertained by performing a 'felicific calculus', weighing up the benefits and disadvantages of each possible decision in a quasi-scientific manner.
This sounds great, if a bit long-winded when trying to decide whether to have tea of coffee. However, Utilitarianism, if logically applied, condones actions which most people would find repugnant, such as the persecution of minorities, and the theory now has very few serious proponents.
Bentham himself was so determined to be a paragon of utility that he requested that, after his death, he be stuffed and put on public display in University College London. He resides there to this very day, though it is frankly difficult to see what use he is to anybody.
