Consequentialism

Question 1

What are the problems of moral theories so far?

Answer 1

They all rely on the existence of a law-giving God

Question 2

Consequentialism

Answer 2

The view that normative properties depend only on consequences

Question 3

Consequentialism about right action

Answer 3

The view that an act is morally right depends only on the consequences of that act or something related to that act

Question 4

What is the general view of consequentialism?

Answer 4

That we should bring about the best outcome of those available to us

Question 5

Direct/Act consequentialism

Answer 5

Decides whether an act is morally right depending on the consequences of the act itself

Question 6

Indirect consequentialism

Answer 6

Decides whether an act is morally right depending on only the consequences of something related to the act

Question 7

Motive consequentialism

Answer 7

Whether an act is morally right depends only on the consequences of the motive of the act

Question 8

Virtue consequentialism

Answer 8

Whether an act is morally right depends on whether it stems from, or shows, a state of character that maximises good consequences

Question 9

Rule consequentialism

Answer 9

Whether an act is morally wrong if and only if it violates a rule, the acceptance of which would have better consequences than the acceptance of any incompatible rule

Question 10

Principle

Answer 10

Provides the measure/standard by which acts/objects/laws ought to be judged

Question 11

Utility

Answer 11

The property in an object whereby it tends to produce benefit/advantage/pleasure/happiness to either the community in general or to a particular individual

Question 12

What does it mean for an act to conform to the principle of utility?

Answer 12

An action is conformable to the principle of utility, with respect to the community at large, when the tendency it has to augment the happiness of the community is greater than any it has to diminish it

Question 13

If an act increases the happiness of the many…

Answer 13

This is why the action is right and why the action ought to be done

Question 14

What does Bentham argue about happiness

Answer 14

That it is intrinsically good, is good in and of itself

Question 15

Theory of right action

Answer 15

The right action is the action which, when we sum the happiness over all sentient beings, produces the greatest net balance of happiness over unhappiness

Question 16

Greatest amount of happiness for…

Answer 16

The greatest number of people

Question 17

When considering the pleasure/pain generated from an action, what else needs to be considered?

Answer 17

The six circumstances

Question 18

What are the six circumstances?

Answer 18

1. The intensity of the pleasure/pain
2. Its duration
3. Its certainty/uncertainty
4. Its propinquity
5. Its fecundity
6. Its purity

Question 19

What is meant by propinquity?

Answer 19

Closeness/remoteness of the happiness

Question 20

What is meant by fecundity?

Answer 20

The chance of being followed of sensations of the same kind

Question 21

What is meant by purity?

Answer 21

The chance it has of not being followed by sensations of the opposite kind

Question 22

How to test the principle of utility?

Answer 22

1. Sum all the pleasure/pain experienced by each affected party
2. Take the balance, see if it produces net pleasure/pain
3. Repeat for all options
4. Elect the action which produces the greatest net of happiness over unhappiness

Question 23

In utilitarianism how does Bentham distinguish law and morality?

Answer 23

Law is the command expressing the will of the sovereign. There is a difference of laws we have and laws we ought to have

Question 24

What does the principle of utility not depend on?

Answer 24

The aims/desires/intentions of the individual performing the analysis

Question 25

What is Bentham’s response to the objection that there is no direct proof of the principle of utility itself?

Answer 25

It is the only principle that is truly intelligible, the principle is already accepted and there is no proof necessary, the principle of utility is basic and cannot itself be proved

Question 26

Utilitarianism as a ‘doctrine for swine’

Answer 26

It doesn’t differentiate between different pleasures, primal pleasures are equivalent to pleasure of the mind and intellect

Question 27

Mill’s response to the ‘doctrine of swine’ objection

Answer 27

He distinguishes between ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ pleasures, assigning greater weight to higher pleasures

Question 28

Epistemic argument

Answer 28

If it is impossible to tell whether an act is morally right or wrong, how can consequentialism possibly be a correct moral theory

Question 29

Cluelessness objection?

Answer 29

How do we have a clue about the overall consequences of our many actions

Question 30

Can it really be right that we act wrongly whenever we fail to ‘promote happiness’?

Answer 30

Our actions may have indirect consequences that are bad, for example every time you spend money rather than give money to charity

Question 31

Does the principle of utility always present us with the right answer?

Answer 31

Actions which produce the greatest happiness may not be right

Question 32

Act consequentialism

Answer 32

We should always act so as to make the world as good as we can possibly make it

Question 33

Desert

Answer 33

Sometimes we are required to do things that make the world worse, sometimes people seem to deserve bad things

Question 34

Are act consequentialism and desert in conflict?

Answer 34

Yes

Question 35

How can we make act consequentialism and desert compatible?

Answer 35

It is important to give people what they deserve, but people only ever deserve good things or people deserve bad things sometimes, but their possession of these bad things makes the world better