GEN006: Applied Ethics

Module #5 Student Activity Sheet

Name: _____________________________________________________________ Class number: _______

Section: ____________ Schedule: _______________________________________ Date: ______________

Learning Unit: Ethical Frameworks: Consequentialism (Jeremy Learning Materials:

Bentham and John Stuart Mill) Student Activity Sheets (PEN Modules)

Learning Objectives: Learning Resources:

At the end of the module, the student should be able to: Copp, D. (2006). The Oxford Handbook of Ethical
Theory. Oxford University Press, Inc.
1. Compare Mill’s utilitarianism to Bentham’s. Debeljuh, P. (2006). Ethics: Learning to Live. Focus
Publishers Ltd.
2. Apply consequentialist ethics. Shafer-Landau, R. (2013). Ethical Theory: An
Anthology (2nd Edition). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW

INTRODUCTION (5 MINS)
Recall of Previous Lesson:
DEONTOLOGY (IMMANUEL KANT)
Major Points Limitations
− Concerned with the adherence to certain rules or − An act that is not morally good can lead to
duties. something good. Categorical Imperatives tell what
− Morality of an action should be based on whether one cannot, but it does not give a positive account
that action is right or wrong under a series of of ethics.
rules. − There are maxims or moral laws that are relative
− Moral agents must honor human rights and meet and, therefore, cannot be universalized.
moral obligations (moral laws) even at the cost of − There are conflicting duties that can clash. There
an optimal outcome. are no guidelines as to which duty to prioritize.
− Categorical Imperative is the supreme principle of Imperfect Duties are not clear and definitive as to
morality (Universalizability Principle and Formula when such duties must be performed.
or Humanity).
− A good person is someone who always does their
duty because it is their duty. It is fine if they enjoy
doing it, but it must be the case that they would
do it even if they did not enjoy it. The overall
theme is that to be a good person you must be
good for goodness’s sake.

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 In this lesson, you are to learn the nature of Utilitarianism by looking into the ideas of John Stuart Mill and
Jeremy Bentham regarding the different measures of happiness, and to determine the importance of these
measures in understanding the rightness and wrongness of our actions.

Instructions: Draw or doodle your answer to the question/s below. Use the space provided.
1. What is your highest and lowest form of pleasure? Make sure to label your drawings.
Example: Highest = Rest and Relaxation (Vacation); Lowest = Eating

B. MAIN LESSON

LESSON PRESENTATION/CONTENT NOTES (15 MINS)

Instructions: Take your time to read and understand all the important information you need to know about the
lesson. Also, please do not forget to highlight important information to help you remember.

TELEOLOGICAL ETHICS (CONSEQUENTIALISM)

− Derives moral obligation from what is good or desirable as an end to be achieved. Morality of an action is
contingent on the action’s outcome which means that the rightness or wrongness of an action depends on
outcomes/consequence, if it brings a good end or intrinsic value.
− Ethical Egoism. Moral duty is exclusive for the self which means that one ought to do/pursue whatever is in
one’s own best interest (e.g., developing a career).
− Utilitarianism. Consequences of actions are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone which means that
one ought to perform actions which tend to produce the greatest overall happiness for the greatest number
of people (e.g., promoting social justice).
● JEREMY BENTHAM’S PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY
− Believes that human actions and social institutions should be judged right or wrong depending upon
their tendency to promote the greatest amount of pleasure or least amount of pain. We should
commend an action if it produces pleasure or prevents pain and condemn an action if it does the

opposite.

− Main Principles. (1) Recognizes the fundamental role of pain and pleasure in human life, (2) Approves or
disapproves of an action based on the amount of pain or pleasure brought about by the consequences of
the action, (3) Equates good with pleasure and evil with pain, and (4) Asserts that pleasure and pain are
capable of quantification, hence, measurable.
− Act Utilitarianism. The right act is defined as the one which brings about the best results or the least
amount of bad results (e.g., charity work).

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 − Utilitarian Calculus. A way to measure pleasure and pain using different factors/criteria in an action.

CRITERIA FOR A SPECIFIC TYPE CRITERIA FOR ACTIONS THAT

CRITERIA FOR A SINGLE ACTION
OF ACTION AFFECTS A GROUP
− Intensity − Fecundity − Extent
− Duration − Purity

− Certainty
− Propinquity

● JOHN STUART MILL’S GREATEST HAPPINESS PRINCIPLE

− It is not the quantity of pleasure but the quality of happiness that is central to utilitarianism. An action
should be judged right or wrong if it has the tendency to achieve happiness for the greatest number of
people.

− Rule Utilitarianism. We ought to live by rules which lead to the greatest good in general. Avoid
short-time utility, instead focus on achieving long-term utility (e.g., equality for women).

SKILL-BUILDING ACTIVITY: VENN DIAGRAM (30 MINS)

Instructions: Make a Venn Diagram or any graphic organizer to illustrate the similarities and differences of
Jeremy Bentham’s Principle of Utility and John Stuart Mill’s Greatest Happiness Principle. Make sure to provide
examples and a brief explanation for your claims. You can use online editing applications such as Canva and PPT,
then, paste it in the space below. If you don’t have access to these applications, you can draw or doodle your
graphic organizer.

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 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING: TRUE/FALSE (5 MINS)
Instructions: Write T if the statement is true and F if otherwise.
_____________1. According to Mill, intellectual pleasures are the highest form of pleasure.
_____________2. Ethical Egoism means that one ought to do/pursue whatever is in one’s own best interest.
_____________3. Utilitarianism is concerned with the adherence to certain rules or duties.
_____________4. According to Bentham, good equates to pleasure and evil equates to pain.
_____________5. The Utilitarian Calculus is a way to measure pleasure and pain in an action.

C. LESSON WRAP-UP

THINKING ABOUT LEARNING (5 MINS)

Think About Your learning. Take a few minutes to reflect on the quality of your work and effort.
1. In your opinion, which theory of utilitarianism is better for making laws and policies? Explain your answer.
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2. Caselet
“Matthew Donnelly was a physicist who had worked with X-rays for 30 years. Perhaps as a result of too
much exposure, he contracted cancer and lost part of his jaw, his upper lip, his nose, and his left hand, as
well as two fingers from his right hand. He was also left blind. Mr. Donnelly’s physicians told him that he
had about a year to live, but he decided that he did not want to go on living in such a state. He was in
constant pain. One writer said that “at its worst, he could be seen lying in bed with teeth clenched and
beads of perspiration standing out on his forehead.” Knowing that he was going to die eventually
anyway, and wanting to escape this misery, Mr. Donnelly begged his three brothers to kill him. Two
refused, but one did not. The youngest brother, 36-year-old Harold Donnelly, carried a .30-caliber pistol
into the hospital and shot Matthew to death." If you were Harold Donnelly, applying consequentialist
ethics, what would you do?
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

1. What is the importance of utilitarianism?
− It is helpful in formulating public policy since it requires an objective assessment of everyone's interests
and of an impartial choice to maximize good outcomes for all affected parties. It also sees morality as the
goal of promoting welfare.
2. What are the limitations of utilitarianism?
− It does not consider the agent and the motive, no consideration for the duty or responsibility. Also,
immoral actions can be justified by the principle of utility for it permits the interests of the majority to
override the minorities.
− In Act Utilitarianism, there is a difficulty in attaining full knowledge and certainty of consequences.
− In Rule Utilitarianism, it is possible to generate unjust rules.
3. How can we distinguish pleasure from happiness?
− Pleasure is the act of seeking gratification, while happiness is the act of seeking satisfaction. Pleasure is
pursued as an end, while happiness is an indirect by-product of another activity.

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 KEYS TO CORRECTION
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING: TRUE/FALSE
1. T
2. T
3. F
4. T
5. T

RUBRICS
ESSAYS
Content is comprehensive, Content is somewhat Content is incomplete and
accurate, and credible. It comprehensive but appears inappropriate. It
demonstrates an in-depth disorganized. It demonstrates demonstrates a lack of
Content
reflection and analysis of the a general analysis and reflection and analysis of the
lesson. (3) minimal reflection of the lesson. (1)
lesson. (2)
There are no/few spelling There are some spelling or There are significant spelling
Mechanics
and/or punctuation errors. (2) punctuation errors. (1) and punctuation errors. (0)

VENN DIAGRAM
Output demonstrates the Output is factual but showed Output demonstrates no
learner’s own interpretation little interpretation from the interpretation and expression
and expression of the lesson, learners, and details from the learners, and details
Content
and shows appropriate details somewhat show the concepts have no connection with the
and concepts of the lesson. of the lesson. (2) concepts of the lesson. (1)
(4)
Output is well organized, easy Output is satisfactorily Output is poorly organized
Clarity to understand, and easy to organized but difficult to and very distracting to read
read. (4) understand and read. (2) and understand. (1)
There are no/few spelling There are some spelling or There are significant spelling
Mechanics
and/or punctuation errors. (2) punctuation errors. (1) and punctuation errors. (0)

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