Hedonic Calculus

Determine the amount of pleasure and pain brought to the person most directly affected by the action. Bentham  has 4 things to measure: 1) The intensity of the pleasure/pain 2) The duration of the pleasure/pain 3) The certainty of the pleasure/pain 4) The remoteness of the pleasure/pain

Step 1

Examine the effects of the pleasure/ pain including: 5) The fecundity* of the pleasure/pain 6) The purity** of the pleasure/pain *Fecundity means the tendency of the pleasure to produce other pleasures. **Purity means the tendency of pleasure to only produce pleasure (same for pain)

Step 2

This step only comes when considering the effects on others 7) The extent of the pleasure/pain (no. of people affected by the action)

Step 3

Calculate the total utility by using 1-7 to count up the amount of pleasure and pain brought by an action.

Step 4

If a range of options are available then repeat steps 1-4 for all actions then choose which option produces the most pleasure over pain

Step 5