ETHICS 1 LESSON 4
UTILITARIANISM
THE PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY
Jeremy Bentham begins by arguing that our actions are governed by two
“sovereign masters” – which he calls pleasure and pain. These “masters” are given to
us by nature to help us determine what is good or bad and what ought to be done and
not; they fasten our choices to their throne. The principle of utility is about our subjection
to these sovereign masters: pleasure and pain. On one hand, the principle refers to the
motivation of our actions as guided by our avoidance of pain and our desire for
pleasure. It is like saying that in our everyday actions, we do what is pleasurable and we
do not do what is painful. On the other hand, the principle also refers to pleasure as
good if, and only if, they produce more happiness than unhappiness. This means that it
is not enough to experience pleasure, but to also inquire whether the things we do make
us happier. Having identified the tendency for pleasure and the avoidance of pain as the
principle of utility, Bentham equates happiness with pleasure.
PRINCIPLE OF THE GREATEST NUMBER
Equating happiness with pleasure does not aim to describe the utilitarian moral
agent alone and independently from others. This is not only about our individual
pleasures, regardless of how high, intellectual or in other ways noble it is, but is also
about the pleasure of the greatest number affected by the consequences of our actions.
Utilitarianism cannot lead to selfish acts. It is neither about our pleasure nor happiness
alone; it cannot be all about us. If we are the only ones satisfied by our actions it does
not constitute a moral good. If we are the only ones who are made happy by our
actions, then we cannot be morally good. In this sense, utilitarianism is not dismissive of
sacrifices that procure more happiness for others. Utilitarianism is interested with the
best consequences for the highest number of people. It is not interested with the
intention of the agent. Moral value cannot be discernible in the intention or motivation of
the person doing the act; it is based solely and exclusively on the difference it makes on
