Utilitarianism is a class of ethical theories
that aim at promoting actions which are guarantee happiness and wellbeing of a
large number of people (Cahn, 2018). There are different forms of
utilitarianism, but the basic idea is that we should all work together for the
prosperity of humanity and that our actions should be positive so that we
become the reason of someone’s smile. Jeremy Bentham was the first person who
used the term “utilitarianism” to describe an object or action that contributes
to happiness, pleasure, advantage, or benefit of one or more individuals. If an
action promotes unhappiness or becomes the reason of pain, then it cannot be
regarded as a good one and people who are acting negatively and creating a mess
for others should change themselves before it is too late and the lives of many
people get ruined.
Accessing utilitarianism is possible when the
family of theories is fully understood. For instance, the concept of utilitarianism
can be applied to a business in which net benefits and costs are to be
predicted at an early stage. The purpose should be to benefit all stakeholders
and employees, as well as the company’s owner. If the benefits or profits of
the business are not equally distributed among stakeholders, employees, and the
company’s owner, then this kind of business will not survive for long. It holds
that every person involved in the business directly or indirectly should be
given advantage and needs to be considered while taking an important decision.
The same idea is applicable to other fields like healthcare and education.
References
Cahn, S. M. (2018). Exploring
Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
