Lesson 2. Utilitarianism Flashcards
Wat is hedonisme?
Eens levenshouding die genot ziet als het hoogste levensdoel. Genot is het enige intrinsieke goede en pijn het enige intrinsieke slechte.
Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two foreign masters according to Bentham, namely:
Pain and pleasure
What’s the hedonic calculus ?
- Intensity
- Duration
- Certainty and uncertainty
- Propinquity or remoteness
- Fecundity or the chance it has of being followed by similar sensations: that is, pleasures, if it is pleasure: pains, if it is pain
- Purity, or the chance it has of not being followed by, sensations of the opposite kind: that is, pain, if it is pleasure: pleasure, if it is pain
- Extent (the number of people who are affected by it)
What are the two attractions from utilitarianism?
- Human well-being matters
2. Consequentialism: moral rules must be tested for their consequences on human well-being
Which preferences count according to utilitarianism:
Short term or long term?
Egoistic or altruistic?
possibly right or well informed?
- Well informed/not mistaken
- Do not focus solely on the short term
- Not (overly) egoistic
How do you identify an informed preference?
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Summary • Greatest happiness/pleasure for the greatest number − Experience machine? • Preference satisfaction − Mistaken preferences? • Informed preferences − How do you identify an ‘informed preference’? • Maximize all-purpose goods
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True or false: Kant said that the greatest happiness for the greatest number should be the our lead for moral acting.
False, Bentham and his utilitarianism stated this.
We can do this
We know!
What does a hedonic calculus do?
Determine whether a certain deed is morally wright or wrong in a given situation according to Bentham. By considering the pleasures and pains in respect of the following seven factors.
Which of the following attractions fit with utilitarianism: A Human well-being B Intentions C Hypothetical imperative D Consequentialism
A human well-being and D consequentialism
True or false: John Stuart Mill is a deontologist.
False, he prefers the utilitarianism
True or false: an example of a higher pleasure is reading Shakespeare.
True
True or false: an example of a lower pleasure is poetry.
False, this is a higher pleasure.
Prepare a drink for the person next to you.
Of course!
Change the music
Party hard!
True or false: Mill and Bentham had the same ideas about utilitarianism.
False
J.S. Mill stresses the intrinsic value of ‘achieving the highest end of
human life’ and ‘employing all your faculties’ (cf ‘On liberty’)
Melody knows!
How do you solve the problems like: irrational preferences, mistaken preferences and egoistic preferences?
Information (by education) (this enables you to choose an) informed preference.
What are the two objections to Bentham’s version of utilitarianism?
- it fails to respect individual rights because the most important thing in Bentham’s moral philosophy is the maximization of happiness. Example: organ donation: and stealing the organs of one healthy person to save the lives of four sick people.
- values can’t be captured by a single common currency of values (which was Bentham’s intention). Example: Ford’s calculation of cost-benefits of the dangerous gas tank.
True or false: JS Mill’s revision of utilitarianism made it more humane and less calculating by taking the individual human dignity into account.
True!
What is a higher pleasure?
A higher pleasure produces stronger and longer pleasures.
True or false: according to Bentham a push-pin (ezeltje-prik) game is as good as poetry.
True, Bentham doesn’t distinguish levels in pleasure.
True or false: the refusal to distinguish higher from lower pleasures is connected to Bentham’s belief that all values can be measured and compared on the same scale.
True
What is the theory of life (Mill)?
You want to reach two things in life: avoiding pain and having pleasure.
True or false: Mill sees reaching pleasure and avoiding goals as the moral ends.
True, according to Mill moral ends are indeed guided by the two sovereign masters.
