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Focuses on the consequences ton the well-being ("utility") of all persons
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The principle states: "The most ethical of any actions is the one will produce the greatest balance of benefits over harms."
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Consequentialism is a contemporary term for teleology.
Origin of Word:
From the Greek telos, meaning end or purpose
"From the Greek teleios meaning consequence or 'being brought to its
end or purpose'" (Souryal 59).
Teleological Theory: The moral worth of an action is judged by the extent to which the act accomplishes a purpose or an end.
Consequences determine the act's
correctness.
If the result is good, then the act is right.
If the result is bad, then the act is wrong.
Examples:
Correctness in spanking: is in reforming behavior
The goodness is executing a criminal is in deterrence
The reasoning for experimenting on animals is to find a drug for mankind.
Well known theories
Of Great Utilitarian Worth: (Souryal 59)
Raising minimum wage
Increasing social security benefits
Increasing health benefits
My favorite quotes from Souryal on Utilitarianism:
"The theory of social justice affirms that ultimate morality exists when society is able to maximize liberty for all citizens without sacrificing the needs of the underprivileged and the needy." (Souryal 59)
An egoist considers "the quality of an action in terms of the happiness that would accrue to him. It is the obligation, or at least the right, to do whatever could possibly enhance one's interest" (Souryal 60).
"The goodness of a utilitarian act increases in correlation to the number of people who benefit from it" (Souryal 60).
Contemporary Examples:
Excellent link: Views Oliver North's lies in terms of utilitarianism http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/calculating.html
V22 Osprey - Inefficient & eventually crashed. Government was lied to so the Osprey could be further developed.
In January 2003 on NBC a physicist from MIT Draper Labs said the Anti Ballistic Missiles optical lens could not work - and that Draper lied to get development funds.