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An exploration of consequentialism through the lens of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
If you had to choose between saving your best friend or two strangers from a fire, whom would you pick? While your heart says your friend, the philosophy of Utilitarianism argues there is a mathematically 'correct' answer based on the total happiness produced.
Quick Check
According to the Principle of Utility, what determines if an action is 'right'?
Answer
The total amount of pleasure produced minus the pain caused (the outcome), rather than the intent behind the action.
Bentham didn't just want to talk about happiness; he wanted to measure it. He proposed the Hedonic Calculus, a system of seven variables used to calculate the 'quantity' of pleasure an action produces. These include: Intensity (how strong is it?), Duration (how long does it last?), Certainty (how likely is it to happen?), Propinquity (how soon will it occur?), Fecundity (will it lead to more pleasure?), Purity (is it free from pain?), and Extent (how many people are affected?). By assigning numerical values to these, a person can theoretically calculate the moral 'score' of any decision.
A city is deciding whether to build a luxury parking lot for 10 people or a community garden for 500 people. 1. Extent: The garden affects 500 people (), the lot affects 10 (). 2. Duration: The garden provides years of joy; the lot provides short-term convenience. 3. Calculation: If each garden user gains units of pleasure, . If each driver gains units, . 4. Result: The garden has higher utility () and is the 'moral' choice.
Quick Check
Which variable of the Hedonic Calculus refers to the number of people affected by an action?
Answer
Extent.
Later, John Stuart Mill refined Bentham's ideas. He worried that 'Act Utilitarianism' (calculating every single act individually) could lead to 'the tyranny of the majority'—like a mob killing an innocent person to make a thousand people happy. Mill proposed Rule Utilitarianism. Instead of looking at individual acts, we should follow general rules that, if followed by everyone, would produce the greatest happiness over time. For example, even if lying might help in one specific moment, the rule 'Do not lie' creates more social trust and happiness in the long run. Mill also distinguished between Higher Pleasures (intellectual, like reading) and Lower Pleasures (physical, like eating).
You promised a dying man you would bury his fortune with him, but that money could build a new hospital wing. 1. Act Utilitarian: Would likely break the promise. The utility of the hospital () is vastly greater than the utility of keeping a promise to a deceased person (). 2. Rule Utilitarian: Would likely keep the promise. If the rule 'Break promises whenever it seems helpful' became standard, society would collapse into distrust, lowering total utility for everyone forever.
In advanced ethics, we use the calculus to weigh complex trade-offs. We must consider Fecundity ()—the probability that an action is followed by sensations of the same kind—and Purity ()—the probability that it is NOT followed by sensations of the opposite kind. A 'moral' action maximizes the probability of a positive chain reaction while minimizing 'side-effect' pains.
Which philosopher is considered the founder of Utilitarianism and the creator of the Hedonic Calculus?
If an action produces intense pleasure but is very unlikely to actually happen, which variable of the Hedonic Calculus is low?
A Rule Utilitarian would support stealing if it produced the most happiness in one specific, isolated instance.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to list all 7 variables of the Hedonic Calculus from memory and explain the difference between Act and Rule Utilitarianism to a friend.
Practice Activity
Apply the Hedonic Calculus to a personal decision you face this week (e.g., studying vs. going out). Assign values from 1-10 to the variables and see which choice 'wins' mathematically.