Utilitarianism: The Greater Good
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Utilitarianism judges specific decisions by examining the decision's consequences.
- Utilitarianism defines right and wrong in terms of the happiness of a society's members.
- Utilitarian ethics defines an act as good when its consequences bring the greatest good or happiness to the greatest number of people.
- There are a variety of specific forms of utilitarianism.
- Theoretically, utilitarianism is straightforward, but in practical terms it can be difficult to measure the happiness of individuals.