Utilitarianism and Christian Theology

Abstract

Utilitarianism is one of the most straightforward ethical theories: it simply calls for the greatest welfare for the greatest number. Despite its early links to theological reasoning, this moral view has often been sharply contrasted with the outlook of Christians. This entry presents the key features and history of utilitarianism and explores its relationship to Christian theology. Utilitarianism is famous for its radical recommendations when applied to beginning and end of life issues, animal welfare, and poverty. These are discussed and contrasted with Christian approaches. The entry ends by discussing effective altruism, a movement strongly influenced by utilitarian ideas.

Keywords

• ethics
• morality
• welfare
• goodness
• natural law
• consequentialism
• bioethics
• euthanasia
• abortion
• animals
• poverty
• effective altruism