moral theory that says that the right action is the one that produces the most happiness or well-being for the most people. It is based on the idea that the consequences of actions are what matter, not the intentions or motives behind them. Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism, which is a broader category of ethical theories that judge actions by their outcomes.
works on the “greatest happiness principle”
There are different types of utilitarianism, such as act utilitarianism, rule utilitarianism, negative utilitarianism, and preference utilitarianism. They differ in how they define happiness or well-being, how they measure and compare the effects of actions, and how they deal with moral dilemmas and conflicts. Some of the main proponents of utilitarianism are Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick, R. M. Hare, and Peter Singer.
Utilitarianism has been applied to various social and political issues, such as human rights, animal welfare, environmental ethics, justice, democracy, and public policy. It has also been criticized for being too demanding, too simplistic, too impersonal, too subjective, or too unrealistic. Some of the main critics of utilitarianism are Immanuel Kant, G. E. Moore, Bernard Williams, Robert Nozick, and John Rawls.
greatest happiness principle
says that the right action is the one that maximizes the happiness or well-being of the most people. It is based on the idea that the consequences of actions are what matter, not the intentions or motives behind them
an action is good if it produces more pleasure than pain, and bad if it produces more pain than pleasure
The best action is the one that creates the greatest net balance of pleasure over pain for the greatest number of people