Module 6 Utilitarianism Flashcards
Asserts that the moral worth of an act is based on the consequences it produces.
Consequentialism
a bad consequence means the act was bad, while a good consequence means the act was good.
Consequentialism
Always choose the action that will produce the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people
The Greatest Happiness Principle
It focuses on the results or consequences of our actions and treats intentions as irrelevant.
UTILITARIANISM
Good Consequences=
good actions
Proponents of Utilitarianism
Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Epicurus
How actions should be measured?
in terms of the happiness, or pleasure, that they produce
This means the good is equal to the pleasant, and we ought morally to pursue pleasure and happiness and work to avoid pain.
HEDONISTIC MORAL THEORY
we should act always so as to produce the greatest good for the greatest number
PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY
we should pursue pleasure or happiness, not just for ourselves, but for as many sentient beings as possible
Utilitarianism
What are we about our interest in utilitarianism?
a benevolent, disinterested spectator.
is to maximize overall human happiness. In order to determine the amount or quantity of the happiness produced by an action,
Quantitative Utilitarianism
gives various parameters which can be given numerical grades and then totalled for an overall “happiness score.”
Felicific Calculus
He asserted the difference between Higher (Intellectual) and Lower (Physical) pleasures as a criterion for choosing the action with the most utility.
John Stuart Mill
choosing a higher pleasure over a lower one maximizes happiness.
Qualitattive Utilitarianism
