The parts are experiences, lives, societies, and so on.Īny theory that denies any of the elements above is not utilitarian. Aggregationism: The view that the value of the world is the sum of the values of its parts.The interests of all individuals hold equal moral weight. Impartiality: The view that the identity of individuals is irrelevant to the moral value of an outcome.
in terms of what delivers the most good to the most people.Īccording to MacAskill, Meissner, and Chappell (2022), all utilitarian theories share four defining characteristics: The theory evaluates the moral rightness of actions, rules, policies, motives, virtues, social institutions, etc.
Utilitarianism is the view that one ought to promote maximal well-being, welfare, or utility.