Under utilitarian ethics, which criterion makes an action ethical?

Enhance your ethical decision-making skills with the BOMI Ethics is Good Business Test. Utilize flashcards and multiple choice questions with explanations to prepare effectively. Ace your exam with confidence!

Under utilitarian ethics, morality is determined by the consequences for overall welfare. The central idea is utility: actions are ethical if they maximize happiness and minimize suffering for the greatest number of people. This focus on outcomes and total well-being is what makes the option about increasing happiness or decreasing misery the best fit for utilitarianism. Other ideas like following a code, focusing on truthfulness as a duty, or judging actions by their inherent nature come from different ethical theories (deontological or virtue-focused), not from utilitarian calculations of overall welfare.