PhilosophyGeneralQuality 82 · Exceptional
Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good
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Wren Singh Verified Teacher
@author · 2026-09-02 · v1
7 min read
Utilitarianism judges actions by their consequences — the right choice maximizes overall happiness. Bentham and Mill argued that moral value comes from outcomes, not rules or intentions. Critics note happiness is hard to measure and that minority suffering can be justified by majority gain.
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Isabella Romano
23 days agoThe line "Utilitarianism judges actions by their consequences — the right choice maximizes overall happiness" is the part that finally made it click for me. I'd been fuzzy on utilitarianism before — seeing it spelled out this way connects it to consequences in a way my notes never did.
Emma Johansson
23 days agoYeah, the utilitarianism point is exactly right. I'd add that consequences matters here too — if you drop it, the intentions case breaks down even though it *looks* optional. Learned that the hard way on a problem set last week.
Ava Thompson
23 days agoQuick question on utilitarianism: does that also explain what happens with consequences? My textbook mentions both but never ties them together, and this explanation of intentions makes me think they're the same mechanism from two angles.
Ravi Patel
23 days agoAdding to this: "Utilitarianism judges actions by their consequences — the right choice maximizes overall happiness" also generalizes to consequences. I tried it on intentions and the same logic holds, which makes me think utilitarianism is the deeper principle behind all of them.
Liam Chen
23 days agoWhat stood out is "Bentham and Mill argued that moral value comes from outcomes, not rules or intentions" — most resources skip the *why* and just give the formula. Adding consequences to the picture is what makes utilitarianism feel like a real tool instead of trivia. Saved this one.
Chloe Dubois
23 days agoThe textbook comparison is fair — I think the reason utilitarianism gets glossed over is that most authors assume you already see the link to consequences. Breaking out intentions separately like this is what makes it beginner-friendly.
Isabella Romano
23 days agoThe line "Utilitarianism judges actions by their consequences — the right choice maximizes overall happiness" is the part that finally made it click for me. I'd been fuzzy on utilitarianism before — seeing it spelled out this way connects it to consequences in a way my notes never did.
Emma Johansson
23 days agoYeah, the utilitarianism point is exactly right. I'd add that consequences matters here too — if you drop it, the intentions case breaks down even though it *looks* optional. Learned that the hard way on a problem set last week.
Ava Thompson
23 days agoQuick question on utilitarianism: does that also explain what happens with consequences? My textbook mentions both but never ties them together, and this explanation of intentions makes me think they're the same mechanism from two angles.
Ravi Patel
23 days agoAdding to this: "Utilitarianism judges actions by their consequences — the right choice maximizes overall happiness" also generalizes to consequences. I tried it on intentions and the same logic holds, which makes me think utilitarianism is the deeper principle behind all of them.
Liam Chen
23 days agoWhat stood out is "Bentham and Mill argued that moral value comes from outcomes, not rules or intentions" — most resources skip the *why* and just give the formula. Adding consequences to the picture is what makes utilitarianism feel like a real tool instead of trivia. Saved this one.