. Moral theories about what we ought to do are commonly, if not uncontroversially, divided into deontological and teleological ones (see ETHICS). The main, though not the only, teleological (or CONSEQUENTIALIST) theory is utilitarianism, which in its...

Utilitarianism is the moral, social and political theory originated by Jeremy Bentham and James Mill, and further developed by John Stuart Mill. At its core is a simple equation between ‘the good’, and ‘happiness’ or pleasure....

Utopianism is a form of social theory which attempts to promote certain desired values and practices by presenting them in an ideal state or society. Utopian writers do not normally think of such states as realizable, at least in anything like their...

Utilitarianism is the doctrine that decisions should promote good consequences. It is a normative theory, meant to guide conduct and to serve as the basis of sound evaluations. It does not assume that actual decisions or judgements always satisfy that...

Utilitarianism is the ethical doctrine that the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its contribution to overall utility. It is thus a form of consequentialism, meaning that the moral worth of an action is determined by its outcome—the...

Of all the symbols that writers, artists, philosophers, and composers have used throughout human history, water may be the most powerful metaphor for change. Nine Ways to Cross a River is an extended meditation on midlife, nature, and the meaning of it all as seen...

Of all the symbols that writers, artists, philosophers, and composers have used throughout human history, water may be the most powerful metaphor for change. Nine Ways to Cross a River is an extended meditation on midlife, nature, and the meaning of it all as seen...

Red Hook, along with the rest of latter-day South Brooklyn, continues to be dragged upward (hello, Fairway?), but vestiges do remain of a not-so-distant past when longshoremen outnumbered loft conversions. On a forlorn stretch of Columbia Street between the Red Hook Houses and the Battery...

BusinessWeek magazine is abandoning most lifestyle coverage and taking a more global approach to business news as part of a major overhaul to be revealed when its next issue hits the street.Gone are executive travel, fashion and other soft topics, save for a wine column...

In the following excerpt, Lyons explores Bentham's basic principle of utility and its relationship to morality, ethics, and government.

This essay identifies the ideals of utilitarianism and discusses the problems that a certain philosopher finds with utilitarian ethics.