ILN EP 148: Utilitarianism, Part I

Published: Dec. 7, 2021, 12:10 a.m.

Pat was feeling shrewd so Ben clued him in on the HOTTEST ethical theory of the past 3 centuries: Utilitarianism! That's right folks. Ben and Pat are tackling Utilitarianism and you better believe it's a motherfucking two-parter. Conceived by the debauched mind of Jeremy Bentham and developed by English philosopher, MP, and fiend John Stuart Mill, Utilitarian is a consequrentialist theory of morality that operates under the central axiom that "it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong." Seems legit right? Except when you explore specific scenarios that highlight "the greater good" at the expense of individual dignity and suffering. Would you kill an innocent person to save the world? What if that person was your mom, you sick fuck? That's Utilitarianism. Strap in!