Key ideas - Utilitarianism Flashcards
What are Bentham’s 2 main ideas
Principle of Utility and Hedonic Calculus
What is utility
Usefulness. We should do whatever is useful in increasing overall good and decreasing overall evil
“Greatest Happiness for Greatest number
What is the hedonic calculus
System for working out the amount of pleasure or pain involved in a course of action
Quote from Bentham on human nature
Two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure”
Greatest happiness quote
“Greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong”
Way for remembering the Hedonic calculus
Priced F
Purity
Remoteness or nearness of the sensation
Intensity of the sensation
Certainty of the sensation
Extent of the sensation (number of people affected)
Duration of the sensation
Fecundity of the sensation (the chance it will produce other pleasurable experiences).
What is act utilitarianism + eval + example
Act utilitarianism believes that we should always perform the act which will lead to the greatest balance of good over evil
Each act on case by case
Used by Bentham
E.g Bread and shopkeeper. Stealing a loaf of bread to feed a starving family is ok but wrong to steal makeup for a wealthy person
Act allows flexibility but takes time to weigh up
What is rule utilitarianism
Believes we should always follow rule to which will lead to the greatest balance of good over evil
In allowing freedom for individuals we are allowing individuals to experiment with different ways of living. This may lead to discoveries of better ways of living with better approaches to life and better rules. e.g homosexuality now legal
What is the trolly problem
Phillipa foot: Train going toward kids but can divert it to hit an elderly tramp, You should do so despite it following in death. Focused on outcome
Who developed preference utilitarianism
Peter Singer
What is preference
Preference of all beings having preferences should be respected and should maximise number of persons with interests and satisfy
What does preference do
Focus on minimising suffering and harm and maximising pleasure. Comes to an agreement
Quote about preference
“I am accepting that my own needs and wants cannot, simply because they are my preferences count more than the wants of anyone else” - Universal and no one counts more than anyone else
Who created rule utilitarianism + eval + example
Mill
Quicker as it does not attempt to weigh up factors involved in each as and allows Freedom. However disadvantage when rules clash e.g telling truth to murderer but have to save life. We cannot satisfy both
Bowie: Highway code
What does mill take into account
Harm principle - individuals only limited to not cause harm
