Act Utilitarianism (Bentham)

Question 1

The principle of utility

Answer 1

Bentham didn’t believe in a God. Bentham believed that everyone wanted to be happy, he believed that right actions are those which produce the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.

Question 2

Hedonism

Answer 2

Its a specific type of happiness, which means the pursuit of pleasure. Bentham- “nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure.” This is psychological hedonism, the idea that people choose pleasure over pain. Ethical hedonism is the idea that people should choose pleasure over pain.

Question 3

Act utilitarianism and quantity over quality

Answer 3

Relativist- nothings right or wrong in itself, Consequentialist- judged by it’s consequences.
Teleological- achieve the goal of maximising happiness and minimising pain.
Quantitative- amounts of pleasure.

Question 4

Is it better to make 5 people fairly happy or 1 person 5 times as happy?

Answer 4

Bentham would say both the same as it’s the same total amount of happiness.

Question 5

The hedonic calculus

Answer 5

Created by Bentham to work out which action will maximise pleasure and minimise pain. It has 7 factors, all equally important.

Question 6

The hedonic calculus 7 factors

Answer 6

Intensity, Duration, Certainty, Remoteness( how long till it occurs), Richness (will it bring further pleasure in future) Purity and Extent

Question 7

Applying the hedonic calculus

Answer 7

A visitor has to choose 1 prisoner to die or if they refuse, all 3 die. Bentham would say the right action would be to choose one of them to die as it maximises pleasure and it’s less pain. However, the hedonic calculus isn’t practical to use so it’s an ideal rather than something to be strictly followed.

Question 8

Additional information

Answer 8

Your own happiness is no more or less important than anyone else’s. You shouldn’t prioritise your friends or family.