Philosophycalendar_todayLast updated: Apr 2026
What is Utilitarianism?
/ˌjuːtɪlɪˈtɛərɪənɪzəm/
Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that the morally right action is the one that produces the greatest good (happiness or well-being) for the greatest number of people.
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Everyday Example
A doctor with five patients needing organ transplants and one healthy patient whose organs could save all five faces the classic utilitarian dilemma — the numbers say harvest the organs, morality says no.
publicReal-World Application
“Utilitarianism underpins many government policy decisions — cost-benefit analyses of regulations, healthcare rationing decisions, and infrastructure investment choices are all implicitly utilitarian.”
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Did you know?
Developed by Jeremy Bentham in the 1780s and refined by John Stuart Mill in the 1860s. Bentham famously tried to reduce all moral decisions to a "felicific calculus" — measuring units of happiness.
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Key Insight
Utilitarianism produces uncomfortable conclusions in edge cases (the logic can justify sacrificing individuals for the majority) but is the dominant framework for practical policy-making.
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