Bentham

Question 1

What does Act Utilitarianism mean?

Answer 1

Decisions about right and wrong are made in each unique situation, established on the basis of the moral choices that are made for particular actions in particular situations, rather than by applying general moral principles.

Question 2

What did Bentham look at?

Answer 2

How people behaved and what motivated them to make the choices they did.

Question 3

What does Bentham say people aim to do?

Answer 3

People seek pleasure and try to avoid pain.

Question 4

What is the Principle of Utility?

Answer 4

Things should be judged to be right or wrong according to whether or not they benefited the people involved.

Question 5

What conclusion did his social conscience lead him to?

Answer 5

Everyone had an equal right to happiness or benefit, irrespective of their situation or status in life.

Question 6

Key points in the Hedonic Calculus

Answer 6

Intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity and extent.

Question 7

Can the Calculus only be applied to adults?

Answer 7

No
Since pleasure and pain are measurable, clearly they are measurable in animals and infants, and Bentham thought that to assume otherwise is ignorance.

Question 8

What does the ‘greatest good for the greatest number’ mean?

Answer 8

One should choose the action that maximises utility in any particular situation.

Question 9

What is of secondary importance when calculating the greatest good to choose an action?

Answer 9

Whether this matches the rules laid down by those in authority.

Question 10

What is the Utilitarian reply to the claim that ‘it puts too much emphasis on the consequences of our actions’?

Answer 10

Act Utilitarianism does try to assess specific situations, but in reality most situations are typical of ‘general classes of acts’.

Question 11

What is the Utilitarian reply to the claim that ‘it ignores motives, rules and duties’?

Answer 11

These are only useful if they serve the ‘primary principle’ of utility - if they generate more happiness and pleasure than unhappiness and pain.

Question 12

What is the Utilitarian reply to the claim that ‘it ignores the rights of minorities’?

Answer 12

If the rights of the minority are considered above the rights of the majority, then that is unjust to the majority, which is a far greater injustice.

Question 13

What is the Utilitarian reply to the claim that ‘utilitarianism fails because it cannot bridge the is-ought gap’?

Answer 13

If you ask people what they want, they universally reply that they want happiness, so this is reason enough to support the claim that one ought to bring about the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

Question 14

True of False
Bentham’s Utilitarianism was formulated independently of belief in God.

Answer 14

True
Utilitarian moral decision-making is inconsistent with any religious form of moral decision-making.

Question 15

How does self-interest make Utilitarianism and Christianity different?

Answer 15

Utilitarianism - encouraged individuals to act against their own self-interest and that of the community as a whole.
Christianity - seeks to put self-interest on one side.

Question 16

Does utilitarianism have a spiritual dimension?
How is this different to Christianity?

Answer 16

No
Happiness is pointless if it is not quantifiable within society as we experience it in day-to-day living.
Whereas religion emphasises the spiritual dimension to life and the relationship with a personal God.

Question 17

Christian moral decision making focuses on the weaker members of society.
How is this different to utilitarianism?

Answer 17

It insists that every individual’s happiness counts as one.

Question 18

True or False
Utilitarianism gives greater value to rules in decision-making than Christianity.

Answer 18

False
In utilitarianism the ‘primary principle of Utility’ is more important than any rule, to the extent than any law or rule that does not maximise happiness/minimise pain bad.

Question 19

What are the differences between Christianity and utilitarianism in beliefs about mental state?

Answer 19

Christianity - the agent’s mental state matters, because God
knows people’s thoughts.
Utilitarianism - the mental state of the individual cannot be known because we cannot read minds.

Question 20

Why could Jesus’ actions be considered utilitarian?

Answer 20

He sees utilitarian arguments as relevant to an assessment of moral action.
e.g. he judges people by how they respond to the needy.

Question 21

How does the fact that Jesus acts situationally link to utilitarianism?

Answer 21

The situational response is the essence of act utilitarianism, which aims to maximise utility in the situation.

Question 22

Why does J.S.Mill claim there is a direct link between Christianity and utilitarianism?

Answer 22

Jesus made decisions by means of the ‘golden rule’ and so do utilitarians.
To do as you would be done by, and to love your neighbour as yourself.

Question 23

How does Bentham accept religion?

Answer 23

In his assessment of the feelings of self-interest and sympathy by which he says that we are governed.

Question 24

How do utilitarianism and Christianity both
acknowledge the value of self-love?

Answer 24

Jesus brings together love of God and love of one’s neighbour. This clearly acknowledges the principle that love
of self and love of others are interconnected which is also acknowledged by Bentham.