Utilitarianism is the promotion of the greatest happiness for the greatest number however, the theory of natural rights offers a counterpoint with the assumption that one cannot justify the violation of an individual's rights.
Utilitarianism was developed in late eighteenth century by English philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham (Mautner). Bentham expounded upon the theory in his work, "Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation," which was later published in 1789. He described the principles of utilitarianism with the phrase, "calculus of happiness," which explains whether actions are deemed either good or bad, while considering many variables such as duration, likelihood, and intensity (Mautner). For example, if the consequence of an action has both good and bad consequences, however, the good consequence has a greater duration, likelihood, and or intensity, then that action would be deemed good. Utilitarianism became known as the ideological foundation for the philosophical radicalism reform movement supporting women's suffrage (West). Philosopher, economist, and spokesman for women's suffrage, John Stuart Mill, published the paper "Utilitarianism" in 1861 to pose his argument supporting his claim for equal rights. In it, utilitarianism is viewed as a code of ethics for ordinary, individual behavior as well as for legislation (West). Providing a moral thought process for the average person or individual holding a power in office, which will lead to the best decision being made from a utilitarian point of view. The theory continued to have widespread influence in the fields of philosophy, politics, and economics. .
"The Fat Man" is the second half of the trolley case and targets the differences in the ethical solution provided by utilitarianism versus the moral solution of the theory of natural rights. In this case, there remains the predicament of the runaway trolley on path to hit and kill the five construction workers.
