Essay On Utilitarianism

“Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” –John Stuart Mill. Utilitarianism is based on doing what makes a person happier or provides more pleasure to that person and decreasing the things that makes you unhappy. Happiness and the absence of pain are considered the most desirable things to a person. According to utilitarianism, no matter what a person does, if it increases that person happiness, it is perfectly fine, and “wrong” if it decreases their happiness. A principle of utilitarianism says that when it comes to making a decision, we should choose what makes the majority of people happier or you happier. Lets say that you have to choose whether to stay at home and study for your SAT because you need a certain score to pass the exam and you are not well prepared or to go on a trip with some friends and have fun. According to utilitarianism, obviously, to some people, what gives the more pleasure is the trip, although we know that the right decision to make is to stay at home and study. So, choosing the trip is the
So, lets say, for example, you got a 1.0 in an important exam, but it would make your parents happier if you got a 5.0 and you lie about getting the 1.0 and tell them you got a 5.0. According to utilitarianism this is considered a good action because you are making people happier and not affecting their happiness. So, we can say that lying is “right” when it makes other people happy. That is where the term “white lies” comes from. Since we were little they have taught us to never lie. Basically telling us that lying is bad. Well, they are right, lying is bad because a little lie or “white lie” can easily become in a bigger and bigger lie, affecting not only yourself but also people that surround you. In other words, the “lying is fine” principle of utilitarianism is just