Essay
Explore Bentham’s act utilitarianism. -8 marks
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
Explore Bentham’s act utilitarianism. -8 marks Achieved grade A.
[Show more]
Content preview
Explore Bentham’s act utilitarianism. -8 marksUtilitarianism is based on the Principle of Utility which
says to always act so as to produce the greatest
happiness for the greatest number. A utilitarian says
that actions are most useful when they produce
happiness/ pleasure for the maximum number of
people possible; Bentham described this as, “mankind
[being] placed under two sovereign masters, pleasure
and pain”.
This means that utilitarianism is concerned with
teleological ethics (consequentialism); the word
‘teleological’ comes from the Greek word ‘telos’,
meaning purpose. The consequences of an action, the
link between act and consequence, is most important
when making moral decisions for a utilitarian. There is
no act that is intrinsically good or bad; every act is
judged to be good or bad based on the result it
produces, so actions are extrinsically or instrumentally
good. For Bentham, human beings are “rational
pleasure-seekers.” so humans are motivated by
pleasure.
An act utilitarian will abandon all ideas about
ethical rules, and they will approach each situation
differently and make a decision that will maximise
overall happiness in that particular situation. For
example, an act utilitarian would not accept a general
rule of not making promises. Instead, they would treat
each promise as a unique situation and work out
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller mariaberruti. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £2.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53068 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now