Utilitarianism

The ethical view that the right action is the one that produces the greatest overall good, counting everyone equally.

Also: utilitarian, principle of utility, greatest happiness principle, act utilitarianism, rule utilitarianism

What it means

Utilitarianism judges actions and policies by their consequences for the well-being of everyone affected. Jeremy Bentham held that pleasure and pain alone have intrinsic value and proposed weighing them. John Stuart Mill added that some pleasures, such as intellectual ones, are higher in quality, and Henry Sidgwick sought to ground the view in reflection on common-sense morality. Act utilitarianism assesses each act directly; rule utilitarianism assesses the rules acts follow. Similar ideas appear elsewhere: the Chinese thinker Mozi and his followers defended an impartial, outcome-focused ethic sometimes called proto-utilitarian. Critics object that maximising good could permit occasional lying or stealing, and that its demands may be excessive.

The questions it belongs to

• 3.2.1 Consequence-Based ApproachesIf an act produces the best outcome, can it be wrong?

Thinkers

• Jeremy Bentham
• John Stuart Mill
• Henry Sidgwick
• Mozi

Traditions

• Modern European
• Analytic
• Chinese

To read

• A System of Logic — John Stuart Mill
• An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation — Jeremy Bentham
• Considerations on Representative Government — John Stuart Mill

Sources and further reading

• The History of Utilitarianism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
• Utilitarianism (Britannica)
• Consequentialism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Written by the Coordinates of Thought editors and checked against the sources above on 29 October 2026. Not peer-reviewed. How we write and check.

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