Class 6 - Utilitarian Theory

Question 1

utilitarian theory: the trolley problem

Answer 1

Save 5 people in peril or kill 1 person not in peril
You can say…
1 person is less than 5 OR
Have to kill 5 people because you just caused 1 person to die (versus letting the train itself do its thing)

Video:
Driving and you have to choose who to kill: a convict, a cat, a baby, a woman and an elderly man.. Who do you choose to kill?

What is the ethical framework to program within electrical vehicles
Look into the trolley problem above..
Depending on net worth.. Value to society? Are they following road rules?

Question 2

discussion questions: trolley problem

Answer 2

3. How would a utilitarian person decide on these issues?
   Max utility. So kill one person to save five people. Assuming that their lives are equally valuable.
4. How do self-driving cars reflect the trolley problem?
   They decide what is the max good in the situation. Typically they choose what’s best for the driver than others though..

Question 3

the trolley problem: a variant

Answer 3

Guilt is factored into this as well because it is more direct (physical) to change what will happen

Does this happen to people who get into accidents in self-drive cars? Is it the same as flipping a switch or pushing a person?

Question 4

utilitarianism premise 1: hedonism/welfarism

Answer 4

Pleasure/happiness= Good (ethical)
Pain/unhappiness= Evil
Choosing pleasure over pain is good (ethical)
Basic unit: Utility

Question 5

utilitarianism premise 2: consequentalism

Answer 5

Only the outcome (consequence, result) matters
Motives, habits, or dispositions don’t matter
Key argument
An action or decision is ethical if and only if it brings about the greatest amount of net happiness (i.e., utility) than any alternative action or decision

Question 6

how to use utilitarianism

Answer 6

1. For a given issue or situation, identify all possible choices of action/decision
2. For each choice, identify the amount of total benefits (happiness) that the choice will bring about
3. For each choice, identify the amount of total costs (pain) that the choice will bring about
4. Calculate the net utility (net benefits), or the difference between benefits and costs
5. Repeat Steps 2-4 for all possible choices of action/decision
6. Compare the net utility among the choices
7. The choice that has the greatest net utility is ethical

Question 7

remember: utilitarianism

Answer 7

Not just my own happiness, but everyone’s
Must identify all people who will be impacted directly and indirectly
Happiness and pain must be measurable
Not just immediate happiness, but long-run happiness
Must predict and estimate expected happiness
In real-world situations, some of these requirements are often difficult to satisfy
Is it always about “the greatest good to the greatest number of people”? (consider the next two examples..)

Question 8

utalitarianism

Answer 8

Utilitarianism was developed by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham * and further refined by John Stuart Mill. Utilitarians believe that people should act to maximize the utility of everyone involved, where utility has been variously interpreted historically as “happiness,” “well-being,” or “pleasure” (the latter is Bentham’s interpretation)

The decision-maker’s interests are not the only ones that count. Everyone’s interests matter. This impartial perspective can be highly demanding, requiring as it does that people give equal ethical weight to the interests of all people who might be affected by a choice.

Question 9

act vs rule utalitarian

Answer 9

For an act utilitarian, individual action is ethically right if it maximizes social utility. For a rule utilitarian individual action is ethically right if it conforms to a rule that maximizes social utility.

A rule utilitarian, for example, argues that institutions are justified if they enforce rules that have the effect of maximizing social utility. People need not be guided by a utilitarian ethic in their individual decision-making, according to this view. Rather, they will follow the relevant rule, whose content probably has nothing to do with utilitarian ideas.

Question 10

utilitarianism - decision rule (lecture notes)

Answer 10

Decision rule
Maximize the common good

You’re gonna care about consequences for others BUT utalitarists are actually gonna look at alternative actions and are going to figure out what all the consequences are for each of these actions and you are morally obligated to do the thing of greater balance of good over bad. This is the right thing to do.

Question 11

utilitarianism - biggest pro (lecture notes)

Answer 11

Biggest pro

Replaces partiality with science
Shouldn’t be able to be partial to yourself but same for everyone
Insert science into ethics - logical approach, mathematics etc.
Can’t scare others into doing certain things
Not just pros/cons for our firm but all the ripple effects - MAXIMIZE THE GOOD

Question 12

utilitarianism - biggest con (lecture notes)

Answer 12

Biggest con

The means don’t matter
Telling you to maximize (focus on consequences) the CON in this is that the means don’t matter to Utilitarian
Max good if you hurt people?
Its just based on consequences it doesn’t matter if you think its morally ok to do if its the max good

Question 13

utilitarianism - example (lecture notes)

Answer 13

Example
“The Ones who Walk Away from Omelas

Story of this community that does MAX COMMON GOOD process and determined their community can be perfect IF there’s this one little girl who is locked in a basement closet for her whole life

The cost for society’s happiness is to imprison this girl
The max good despite bad actions

People who walked away from Omelas who felt guilty for living there because they knew it was wrong to lock that girl even though it is the perfect utopia - they are why utilitarianism doesn’t work
True utilitarian would not feel guilty because that is the maximum good.