Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is a moral theory that is considered to be influential in a society. A moral theory is an explanation of how the paradigms of right or wrong associated with actions, simultaneously explaining how one’s character can be considered good or bad. Through this moral theory known as utilitarianism, one’s actions play a key role. An individual who practices the utilitarian moral theory has right actions as long as it promotes happiness for the maximum number of people possible leading to the development of the principle of utility. The principle of utility is a proposition which agrees or disagrees with every action committed by a person based on the group of individuals whose happiness is in question. This principle when expanded and
One of the features of Utilitarianism includes consequentialism. Consequentialism is the idea that good actions will likely give way to more positive outcomes in comparison to the number of negative outcomes possible. Consequentialist say that the actions that they take solely depend on the type of outcome that it will produce. The view of a consequentialist embodies utilitarianism because through this thought process and careful deliberation of one’s actions an individual should be able to maximize the good for all of the people involved in the situation. One example of this form of utilitarianism is the act of breaking a promise. If an individual deems it appropriate to break a promise in order to benefit all individuals involved in the matter, that particular person is making a consequentialist decision while also demonstrating the greatest happiness principle which is a key part of becoming a utilitarian. Another feature of utilitarianism is group hedonism. Group hedonism is the idea that it is in everyone’s best interest to maximize the good for the entirety of the group even if it does not benefit themselves in every circumstance. The definition of group hedonism embodies the main idea of the greatest happiness principle, focusing on the greater good of an entire population instead of the greater good for a certain individual. The final feature of utilitarianism is naturalism.
This concept created by Bentham and Mill allowed individuals to look at measured and quantifiable data relevant to the event they were encountering in order to make a moral decision regarding the situation. Bentham and Mill believed that through the discovery of utilitarianism one was creating a moral science since individuals will now have the ability to use research done by others in order to make a moral decision that will lead to the maximum happiness for all of those