Chapter 3 Bentham Flashcards
utilitarianism
good actions produce pleasure and happiness and minimize pain or suffering
spirit of scientific objectivity
Bentham believed ethical questions could be answered this way
Jeremy Bentham
utilitarian philosopher
principle of utility
Bentham’s objective basis for morality; good actions increase happiness and bad actions cause pain and unhappiness; utility = benefit, advantage, goodness, pleasure and happiness; disutility = mischief, pain, evil, suffering, unhappiness
consequentialism
the effect of an action that establishes its moral worth
psychological egoism
human nature for us to seek pleasure and avoid pain; psychological theory
ethical egoism
that one ought to pursue pleasure; moral theory
is-ought fallacy
to argue that one should do something simply because that is the way things are
sanctions
source of pain and pleasure that gives binding force to laws and rules of conduct
physical sanctions
laws of nature; ie. jump off building and suffer the consequences, so we won’t jump
moral sanctions
to spare ourselves mental pain, embarrassment or loneliness, we go along with crowd and conform to expectations of others
religious sanctions
doing what’s right according to their religion
political sanctions
fines, penalties, and jail as determined by legal system
private ethics
duties to oneself, sexual conduct, and prudence; beyond the proper scope of law
inefficacious
does not work
hedonic calculus
calculation of pleasure or hedonic consequences; similar to cost-benefit analysis; 7 criteria
intensity
how strong the pleasure of satisfaction
duration
how long will last
certainty
how likely or unlikely will pleasure result
propinquity
how soon pleasure occur
fecundity
will action produce more pleasure in the future
purity
any pain come with the action; some bad with the good
extent
how many others affected
How did Bentham approach the study of morality?
spirit of objectivity; rejected tradition, aristocratic privilege, and religion as legit bases for moral systems of thought; used English laws and legislation
How does Bentham view punishment?
not in favor of retribution; only use as a necessary evil to prevent a greater evil
When should one not punish?
when it is groundless, inefficacious, unprofitable and needless
What considerations should be taken into account when punishing?
must outweigh the profit of offense; great offenses given greater punishments; punishment for same crime should be meted our fairly and consistently; should not exceed the bare minimum required to be effective; crimes with little risk of being caught should be given srticter punishments
