Philosophy › Section I · Normative moral theory › Topic I.2
Consequentialism and utilitarianism
Consequentialists hold that what makes an act right is simply how much good it brings about. In its utilitarian form, counting everyone's happiness equally, the idea has reshaped law, economics and charity, and it faces some of the sharpest objections in ethics.
In this topic
- Judging acts by results
- An ancient Chinese version
- Bentham's principle of utility
- Worked example: a Bentham-style calculation
- Mill: quality as well as quantity
- Motives, agents and outcomes
- Act and rule utilitarianism
- Worked example: the scapegoat
- Justice and the separateness of persons
- Demandingness and integrity
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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