Utilitarian Thinking
Utilitarian thinking can be regarded as one of the highly influential ethical theories in the field of modern philosophy as well as decision-making. It is identified as a consequentialist approach, which means that the morality associated with an action can be determined through its outcomes instead of the intentions or rules (Felzmann, 2017). Moreover, this theory was mainly developed by Jeremy Bentham, and it was further refined by John Stuart Mill (Bentham and Mill, 2004; Escamilla, 2008). From the perspective of utilitarianism, the most effective ethical practice tends to deliver the greatest proportion of happiness or benefits for the highest proportion of individuals (Savulescu, Persson and Wilkinson, 2020).
In addition, Bentham also helped to understand that human beings are naturally guided by pleasure and pain. Thus, the ethical decisions are purposed towards maximising the amount of pleasure while minimising suffering. Moreover, Bentham has also revealed that the principle of utility is the main foundation of current utilitarian-specific ethics (Bentham and Mill, 2004). Apart from this, Mill also extended the utilitarian theory by differentiating between higher and lower types of happiness levels. Mills also argued that intellectual and moral pleasures are considered highly valuable compared to physical satisfaction. Further, Mill also believed that ethical practices need to promote the overall human prosperity instead of temporary pleasure (Mill, 2015).
Furthermore, utilitarian thinking is broadly used in public policy, business management, healthcare, and economics. Governments often make use of the utilitarian reasoning while assigning the public resources, which are purposed towards maximising the social welfare for the largest proportion of citizens (Jordan, 2008). For instance, healthcare systems need to give priority to treatments that offer benefits to a large number of patients under restricted availability of resources (Brock, 2002). In a similar way, businesses frequently examine the decisions by considering the net benefits and drawbacks for the stakeholders, such as customers, employees, shareholders, and communities (Asemah, Okpanachi and Edegoh, 2013).
In addition to this, it is analysed that one of the key strengths associated with utilitarianism is its practical and outcome-oriented nature. The utilitarian thinking fosters decision-makers to offer consideration about the broad-ranging social consequences associated with the actions. It further promotes evidence-based reasoning. Moreover, this approach also supports impartial decision-making as the happiness of every individual is regarded equally significant (Patil et al., 2021)
However, critics also argue that utilitarian thinking may overlook personal rights and justice. A decision which provides benefits to the majority of individuals could potentially generate damage for a minority group. This creates ethical concerns in relation to fairness and equality (Woodard, 2019). This criticism has generated a scope of further debate among philosophers regarding whether or not the consequences alone should determine the ethical rightness (Brandt, 1992).
Despite the above criticisms, utilitarian thinking is highly influential in the modernised ethical discussions. It focusses towards maximising the collective well-being and continues to shape the decision-making within organisations, international institutions and governments (Renouard, 2011). Therefore, understanding utilitarianism is valuable for determining how ethical choices are examined in situations of competing interests and restricted resources.
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