The utilitarianism or utilitarian ethics It is an ethical theory that maintains that an action is morally correct if it seeks to promote happiness, not only for those who perform it, but for all those who are affected by said action. On the contrary, the action is wrong if it drives unhappiness.
The utilitarian ethic was made explicit towards the end of the 18th century in England by Jeremy Bentham and continued by John Stuart Mill. Both identified the good with pleasure, which is why they were considered as hedonists.
They also affirmed that the good should be carried to the maximum, or as they themselves formulated it, achieve "the greatest amount of good for the greatest number".
Utilitarianism was revised, at the end of the 19th century, by the Cambridge philosopher, Henry Sidgwick, and later in the 20th century George Edward Moore proposes that the correct aim is to promote everything of value, regardless of whether it makes the person happy or not. human being.
Throughout the centuries, utilitarianism has been a normative ethical theory that not only remained in the philosophical field but also served as a foundation to be applied in the laws. Just Bentham wrote An introduction to the principles of morality and legislation in 1789, as an introduction to a penal code plan.
Currently it is one of the theories that are used by defenders of animal ethics and veganism. With it, an attempt is made to achieve legislation that protects animals, based on what Bentham himself specified, condemning animal torment..
Bentham argued that according to the principle of equality, the suffering of a horse or a dog should be considered as the suffering of a whole human being is considered..
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