Gentic engineering - Utilitirisnism Flashcards
Utisliriaisnim is?
consequenital;ist
no intiricni value for human life
based on the pleasure and pain people affected gain
GM crops - utilsitirsinism?
Betham- equates all forms of pleasure with each other and he equates all beings with each other
pricniple of utlity- greatest good for the greatest numebr
calcualte th hedonsitic value for everyone involved in each situation
crops- can’t feel pleasure/pain he would jsut conentrate on half a billion saved by malnorushment- high net value of pleasure
cosmider pain fo exploted workers form co=-operations- see which value is hgiher
Act Utilitiriansim- each situation- depend ont heamount of workers being hurt
Bentham quote
Mill- Doesn’t protect minoriteos- like explotied workers- human right/civil liberities
Using utlitirian reaosning derive rues for a civilisde society to live- Crops ave no feelings so consider the billions in the workd saved bty increased yield/resitance to infection but ruels might inclide ‘ not allowed if workers aren’t ebing opaid minium wage’- consider life
Absolutist- might be exceoptions where too many peope will die>by making ti weak rule- reverts it bakc to Act
Human genetic engineering- embryo researh, savioru siblings, Designer babies
No irntisinc vaue to human life liek the other ethical theoues- onyl an intrinic value to pleasure/insitinc disvlaue to pain
embryo research- bentham doesn’t adress issue of personhood- alculate gedonistic value for pleaure it could beign to society- future cure for PArkison disease (future- cna’t oput a value on it),
Act- consider each situation- don’t condier the embryo a perosn- always a net gain for pleauare/consider docotos’ happiness
Mill- doesn’t adress the iseeu of personhood- if cosnidered embryo human life then Mil would beobve inh igher [leasures that satify the midn but since emboryos aren’t capable of rational thought its unliely eh would apply the principle fo utiltiy to them. Ruel Utitialirtisnim would derive rules form Utiiriaisn reason for a civiilsied society- probably allow embryo research becuase of the pleausres cures could igve to sopciety
Singer-prefernce UTliirisitnms- he doesn’t condier the mebryo a life until 18 weeks- beofre its forme as it sin’t capbale of rairotnising pain and pleasure- would consider the preference of sick people resrarch could help, doctors (most want to do it)- allow it
Savioru siblings- Bentham equates all pleasure to eahc toehr>wigh up hedonistic value (more side ith the sick child and her family- save their life) when weighing u agauisnt the pain of the svuour sibling espiecialyl as no pain as they onyl take blood form umbilicla cord
Mill- consider hgiher pleaures- both human lives so thy’re both capable fo rational thought>what would result in the mpst hapinness for the community- Ruel Utliirtirisnim- derive rules that best beeneift society- becuase no physicla pain for saviou sibling and pleasure it bings to savious siblingl family, others with illness allow it but onyl for life-threatenign conditons (already in the HEFA guidelines)- if there was an exception, chaging it to weak rule revets beakc to Ac Utilitiainsm- judging each situtaito (Betham would probably udually hgiher value for sick child/docotors “duty”- but doesn’t protect savious sibling if not a life-threatnweign diease
Prefernce-Singer- weigh up ebveryoen’s prefernces, consider doctros wish to save child/parent]s wish to save child, he would also consider saviosu sibling- restrcitions on their freedom- mental suffering (prefernces are equal to each other)/ money better spent elswhere
Embryo screening-designer babies- Bentham calcualte hedonsitic value for pelasure- replace fualt DNA with healthy DNA (remvoe disorder)>pleaure for family, child, issue of losing its indiivuality - Benthan doens’t speicfy when a perosn becomes a perosn, discarding embryos>tring to create a ‘perfect race’ (might beluev its whe nervous system devlops)-
Mill - holds vlaue for human life- capbel of higher pleasures- mebryos aren’t (he doesn’t specify-weakness)- consider lpleausre for baby, parents, society make a rule allowing it- probabyl just for geentuic disorders to try and protect minority-absoltuist
Selective breeding (eugneics), cloning of aniamls and humans?
bentham- imprvign pop;ulation by chosoign desirabkle charcterisit cof people- weigh up hedonistic value for pleasure ti would have on soceity- removing diseses, weigh up agaisnt pain of being discrded due to your characteristics
Mill- tries to rpotect minroty- apply principle foutlity- pleasure for society/parents/children with elss chance of diseases, more aware of value fo huma lfie- derived into Ruel Utilitiriansim - probably woildn’t allow it as its not reuslting in curing peoples illnesses/ trying to rpevent them in future- mill probaly say msot peole wouldn’t accpetr it- priblem with exceptions- mgiht be necessary
Signer- consider evryone’s rpefernces- imapct it oudl ahve on society if got rid of disease/ doctors rpefernce of carryign it out/ prefernce of people not anting to be ‘chosen’
Aniamls 0Bentham count evryones prefernces equally [quote]- consider hedonistic value for humasn beifiting from hgiehr % yields and animals pain (it isn’t really causing them pain )-accpet it . Mill also wouild accept it- aniamls are onyl capable of lower pleasures, inevtiably the ryule si goign tofavour humans, Singer took into account veryone’s prefernces- saw treating one species above the other as specisim- since ti doens’t hurt animals probaly allow it
Overall, Utilsitiriansm would be..?
Bentham- mainyl for it- he would judge each situaiton but genrlly the benfits in society from amost types fo gentic enginnering lie embryo reseearcha nd GM crops would outwiegh pain. Millmore conders the value of human life so consider whether the’re capabel of higher pleasusres/Ruel Utlsitirianism- ruels might take into account human’s rights, SInger would consider evryone’s rpfernces equally liekt he docotrs wisg/ impact on society. All would conisder this and whther the moeny would eb better spent elswhere but msotly the future befots woul rpbably impact the pain causeed
