ABSTRACT
From the late eighteenth century, utilitarianism has been a prominent moral theory particularly in the sphere of public philosophy, even though some of its defenders have advocated it as a comprehensive theory suitable both for personal and public morality. The main intention of these theorists was to search for a single criterion or principle based on which individual actions as well as social policies and institutions can be evaluated. There are different varieties of utilitarianism depending on whether one takes utility to be some psychological states of pleasure or happiness, or whether one takes utility to be the satisfaction of ‘actual’ or ‘rational’ preferences. Nonetheless the fundamental tenet of utilitarianism is that one should do whatever maximizes total or average utility. Sen has often developed the theoretical foundations of the capability approach in response to the limitations of the various forms of utilitarianism and envisages a capabilities-based understanding of justice as an alternative non-utilitarian approach.
