3.2.1 Utilitarianism Flashcards
What are normative ethical theories?
‘Normative ethics’ is the branch of philosophy that discusses theories of how to live and what we should do. Utilitarianism is one of these theories.
What is utilility
Jeremy Bentham, the founding father of utilitarianism, defined utility as the tendency of something to produce benefit, advantage, good or happiness or to prevent mischief, pain, evil or unhappiness.
What are the three terms that define utilitarianism?
- Act consequentialism
- Hedonism
- Equality.
What is act consequentialism?
Actions are morally right or wrong depending on their consequences and nothing else. An act is right if it maximises what is good.
What is hedonism?
The only thing that is good is happiness, understood as pleasure and the absence of pain. This is ‘hedonism’
What is equality? (in relation to utilitarianism)
No one’s happiness counts more than anyone else’s.
hedonistic act utilitarianism
Our actions are morally right if they bring about the greatest happiness.
(leads to more happiness than any other possible happiness)
Who is considered the first act utilitarian and what did he defend?
Jeremy Bentham defended the principle of utility/greatest happiness principle.
“that principle….”
What is the principle of utility/greatest happiness principle?
‘that principle which approves or disapproves of every action whatsoever, according to the tendency which it appears to have augmented or diminished the happiness of the party whose interest is in question.’
+ so Bentham claims that in judging actions to be morally right or wrong, we should take into account only the TOTAL amount of happiness that the action may produce.
What is the hedonic/felicific calculus?
An algorithm-like process whereby Betham argued we can measure the pleasure and pains of an action.
Explain how the hedonic calculus works
considers 7 factors:
+ greatest utility principle = we should only consider this result in judging the morality of an action
