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Utilitarianism
“Only one treatment dose remains. Should it go to the person in greatest need or where it creates the greatest total benefit?”
01 / SUMMARY
In short
Utilitarianism is a family of consequentialist theories evaluating actions or policies by the value they produce, usually impartially and in aggregate. Versions differ over what counts as well-being and whether acts, rules, or institutions should be evaluated.
02 / SEQUENCE
What happens
- 01
Identify everyone affected by a decision.
- 02
Compare the relevant consequences of the alternatives.
- 03
Give equal moral weight to equivalent benefits and harms, without arbitrary privilege.
03 / SCENE
In the wild
A health policy may be compared through years of life, suffering avoided, distribution, and side effects—not intention alone.
04 / LIMIT
The limit
It does not mean maximizing personal pleasure, and not every utilitarian accepts one identical formula.
FINAL NOTE
What remains
It forces attention toward consequences and excluded people, while raising hard problems about measurement, rights, and distribution.
CHECK / 01
Put it to work
How firm is your read?