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The Principle of Utility

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Ann Speaking
Just for any of you who have forgotten, the principle of utility is the supreme ethical or moral principle adopted by a group of moral philosophers called utilitarians.

The principle has been stated in various ways. One of the early formulations goes like this:

 

Act so as to produce the greatest happiness
 of the greatest number of people.

 

The principle was first put forward in the 18th century. One of its most famous proponents was the legal philosopher and reformer Jeremy Bentham. It was also promoted by Bentham's disciple James Mill and by his son John Stuart Mill. Probably the most famous statement of the doctrine was a series of articles by John Stuart Mill which are often published under the title Utilitarianism. Henry Sidgwick, the Victorian philosopher, also discusses utilitarianism in his Methods of Ethics. More recently a number of philosophers have written extensively about utilitarianism. It has been criticized at length, but it has also been defended by philosophers such as Richard Brandt and R. M. Hare.


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