UTILITARIANISM

Mara, Paul // 2i, Nyborg Gymnasium // TOK

Utilitarianism
is a
WHAT IS
theory
in
UTILITARIANI
philosophy
about
right
SM? and wrong
actions.
It
says
that the morally
best action is the
one that makes the
most
overall
happiness
or
"utility"
(usefulness). This
is not limited to
the
happiness
caused by a single
action
but
also
includes
the
happiness of all
people
involved
and
all
future
consequences.

PLEASUR
E

HAPPINES
S

UTILITY

Advocates
The theory was made popular by
18th and 19th century British
philosophers like Francis
Hutcheson, Jeremy Bentham, and
John Stuart Mill, but the idea goes
all the way back to ancient times.

Francis Hutcheson

Jeremy Bentham

Bentham wrote about this idea

with the words "The greatest good
for the greatest number", but did
not use the word utilitarianism. It
was Mill, a follower of Bentham's
ideas, who named the idea.
John Stuart Mill

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Unitarianism, as a denominational family of churches, was first
defined and developed in Poland-Lithuania, Transylvania, England and
America from the late 16th to the early 19th centuries, although
theological ancestors are to be found as far back as the early days of
Christianity. It matured and reached its classical form in the mid-19th
century. Later historical development has been diverse in different
countries.

DID YOU KNOW?

Denmark - In 1900Det fri Kirkesamfund(literally, The Free
Congregation) was founded by a group of liberal Christians
inCopenhagen. Since 1908, the church is outside the Folkekirke(the
Danish Lutheran state church). InAarhus, another Unitarian
congregation was founded at this time by the Norwegian Unitarian
pastor and writer Kristofer Janson(18411917); it has since closed.
Often labeled and considered as a "pioneer" or "precursor"(in a
spiritual manner) to the Unitarian movement in Denmark was the
Icelandic theologianMagns Eirksson(18061881), who lived in
Copenhagen from 1831 until his death in 1881.

Debating
Utilitariani
A
common
example
sm

brought
up
by
philosophers
is
one
known as The Trolley
Problem. This is an issue
illustrated by a trolley
going down a track. The
trolley
is
continuing
forward on the track, but
with an easy pull of a
lever, it can go off to a
separate track. The track
that
the
trolley
is
heading towards has five
people tied down onto it
and they are not able to
get up. The other track
that the trolley can be
switched to only has one
person tied down. The
utilitarian would pull the
lever to switch the track.
Because of the utilitarian
belief in the greatest
good for the greatest
number, this means that
saving
more
lives
is
preferable to not acting.

Sources
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Unitarianism
http://slideplayer.com/slide/1413978/