Utilitarianism A Workable Moral Theory Why Or Why Not

Utilitarianism: A Workable Moral Theory? Why or Why Not? Utilitarianism is one of the most commonly used ethical theories from the time it was formulated by Jeremy Bentham and John Stewart Mill in the nineteenth century. In his work, Utilitarianism, Bentham â€Å"sought to dispel misconceptions that morality has nothing to do with usefulness or utility or that morality is opposed to pleasure† (MacKinnon, 2012, p. 53). To simplify the utilitarian principle, which is one of utility, one can surmise that morality is equated with the greatest amount of utility or good for the greatest number of people (MacKinnon, 2012). Also, with its orientation to the â€Å"end or goal of actions† (MacKinnon, 2012, p. 54), Utilitarianism thus, espouses the consequentialist principle, e.g., the evaluation of any human act lies not so much in the nature of the act or the drive behind the act but rather the result of the act (MacKinnon, 2012). The utilitarian promotion of pleasur e or happiness as the intrinsic good makes it akin to Hedonism or Epicureanism that holds â€Å"mental delight and peace were the goods to be sought in life (MacKinnon, 2012, p. 54). Thus, utilitarianism as â€Å"a pleasure or happiness theory† (MacKinnon, 2012, p. 54) promotes that the only goals that man ought to seek were happiness and pleasure (MacKinnon, 2012). On the other hand, one has to note, that utilitarianism is not egoism, for the fact that happiness and pleasure are to beShow MoreRelatedTutorial 2 Professional Development1089 Words   |  5 Pagesis slightly better than Company B †¢ Company B’s initial cost are less compared to company B †¢ The expenditure on offer of company B is more than company A †¢ The complete cost of company A is less than company B 2. Using utilitarian ethical theory (consequence based): a. 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