ABSTRACT
Utilitarianism is the philosophical approach which says that the moral act is the one that creates the greatest happiness or good for the greatest number of people. Because this approach judge's morality based on consequences, it is classified as teleological. The two philosophers most often associated with utilitarianism were both Englishmen: Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Bentham was particularly interested in the reform of British law. In 1789, he published an Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, which is perhaps the clearest statement of his views on utilitarianism. He proposed a detailed method for calculating the greatest good for the greatest number. Writing some fifty years later, John Stuart Mill, the second major utilitarian philosopher, had the advantage of hindsight. Cost-benefit analysis is a utilitarian approach to evaluating proposed expenditures in business or in government. Writing some fifty years later, John Stuart Mill, the second major utilitarian philosopher, had the advantage of hindsight.
