LEARNING ACTIVITY # 11
Name: Score
Program / Course: GE 8- ETHICS Class Schedule: Mon- Tues 9:00- 10:30
Year & Section: 1st yr- SS Contact No. / FB Account:
Residential Address: Instructor: Angelica F. Nullan, RPm
Type of Activity (check or choose from below)
Concept Notes Laboratory Report Portfolio
Skills: Exercise / Drill Illustration Others:___________________
Activity Title : Ethical Schools of Thought
Learning Target : Discuss the basic principles of utilitarian ethics.
References (Author, Title, Pages) : Bulaong Jr. O. G.,et. Al (2018). Ethics. Foundation of Moral Valuation. Rex Bookstore, Inc.
Montemayor, F.M. (2004) Ethics, The Philosophy of Life. National Book Store.,
Nabor- Nery, M. P. (2003) Ethics, Katha Publishing Co., Inc.
Utilitarianism
• An ethical theory that argues for the goodness of pleasure and the determination of right behavior based
on the usefulness of the action’s consequences.
• This means that pleasure is good and the goodness of an action is determined by its usefulness.
• One’s actions and behaviors are good inasmuch as they are directed toward the experience of the greatest
pleasure over the pain for the greatest number of persons.
• Focused on the results of actions, not the actions themselves.
Utility- refers to the usefulness of the consequences of one’s action and behavior
Principle of Utility
• Our actions are governed by two “sovereigns masters”- pleasure and pain.
• Motivation of our actions as guided by our avoidance of pain and our desire for pleasure.
• Refers to pleasure of good if, and only if, they produce more happiness than unhappiness
Proponents
English philosophers John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) and Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) were the leading
proponents of what is now called “classic utilitarianism.”
Criticisms with Utilitarianism
• Measuring happiness is difficult
• Utilitarian ethics is concerned about the consequences of our actions, regardless of the action itself.
• Desired ethical consequences that actually result from our actions do not always happen immediately
• Happiness should not be the only consequence or goal that matters in some ethical dilemmas
• When utilitarian decisions benefit the majority at the expense of the minority, the minority’s rights may
not be taken into account.
Activity (Note: Do not copy this.)
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
You’re on the way to take the College Entrance Test, which will determine how the college application
process goes (and, it feels like, more or less your entire life). Your car breaks down and you get there very late
and the monitor is closing the door and you remember that…you forgot your required number 2 pencils. On a
desk in the hall, you notice a pencil. It’s gnawed and abandoned but not yours. Do you steal it? Someone who
believes it’s an ethical duty to not steal will hesitate. But if you’re a utilitarian you’ll ask: Does taking it serve the
greater good? It definitely helps you a lot, so there’s positive happiness accumulated on that side. What about the
victim? Probably whoever owns it doesn’t care too much. Might not even notice it’s gone. Regardless, if you put
your increased happiness on one side and weigh it against the victim’s hurt on the other, the end result is almost
certainly a net happiness gain. So, with a clean conscience you grab it and dash into the testing room.
1. Do you agree with the reasoning of a utilitarian? Why or why not?
2. Can you think of another way to solve your dilemma (no pencil) aside from the utilitarian’s point of view?
3. Give a similar example where you used a utilitarian’s reasoning to solve your problem.
THIS FORM IS FOR INSTITUTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
LEARNING ACTIVITY # 11.1
Name: Score
Program / Course: GE 8- ETHICS Class Schedule: Mon- Tues 9:00- 10:30
Year & Section: 1st yr- SS Contact No. / FB Account:
Residential Address: Instructor: Angelica F. Nullan, RPm
Type of Activity (check or choose from below)
Concept Notes Laboratory Report Portfolio
Skills: Exercise / Drill Illustration Others: Attachment/Additional Readings
Activity Title : Ethical Schools of Thought
Learning Target : Discuss the basic principles of utilitarian ethics.
References (Author, Title, Pages) : Bulaong Jr. O. G.,et. Al (2018). Ethics. Foundation of Moral Valuation. Rex Bookstore, Inc.
Montemayor, F.M. (2004) Ethics, The Philosophy of Life. National Book Store.,
Nabor- Nery, M. P. (2003) Ethics, Katha Publishing Co., Inc.
Note: Do not copy this.
Imagine that Peter is an unemployed poor man in New York. Although he has no money, his family still
depends on him; his unemployed wife (Sandra) is sick and needs $500 for treatment, and their little children (Ann
and Sam) have been thrown out of school because they could not pay tuition fees ($500 for both of them). Peter
has no source of income and he cannot get a loan; even John (his friend and a millionaire) has refused to help
him. From his perspective, there are only two alternatives: either he pays by stealing or he does not. So, he steals
$1000 from John in order to pay for Sandra’s treatment and to pay the tuition fees of Ann and Sam. One could
say that stealing is morally wrong. Therefore, we will say that what Peter has done— stealing from John—is
morally wrong.
Utilitarianism, however, will say what Peter has done is morally right. For utilitarians, stealing in itself is
neither bad nor good; what makes it bad or good is the consequences it produces. In our example, Peter stole from
one person who has less need for the money, and spent the money on three people who have more need for the
money. Therefore, for utilitarians, Peter’s stealing from John (the “means”) can be justified by the fact that the
money was used for the treatment of Sandra and the tuition fees of Ann and Sam (the “end”). This justification is
based on the calculation that the benefits of the theft outweigh the losses caused by the theft. Peter’s act of stealing
is morally right because it produced more good than bad. In other words, the action produced more pleasure or
happiness than pain or unhappiness, that is, it increased net utility.
THIS FORM IS FOR INSTITUTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
