Moral Philosophy - Utilitarianism Flashcards
What is Arete?
An ‘excellence’, or more specifically, a ‘virtue’ - a quality that aids the fulfilment of a thing’s ergon (Aristotle).
What does Utility refer to?
The net balance of pleasure over pain.
Define Hedonism.
The pursuit of pleasure. The good is pleasure.
What is Consequentialism?
What makes an action right or wrong is the consequences it brings about. Utilitarianism is an example.
What is The Principle of Utility?
The view that an act is right if it produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
What does Equality mean in moral terms?
Everybody is morally equal.
What is Impartiality?
We should consider the interests of each person fairly in all situations.
Define Sentience.
The capacity to feel pleasure and pain.
What is Bentham’s Quantitative Hedonism?
Only the total amount of utility counts. All pleasures are EQUALLY valuable.
What type of utilitarianism is Bentham’s?
Bentham’s act utilitarianism
What is Mill’s Qualitative Hedonism?
Higher pleasures of the mind have more value than lower pleasures.
What are the rules of Mill’s utilitarianism?
- Actions are right if they increase happiness/pleasure and wrong if they decrease it/cause pain,
- Higher pleasures should be prioritised over lower pleasures,
- The harm principle; actions that harm others are wrong,
- Morality as social rules; morality is not simply an individual decision, but rather relies on the shared understanding of what constitutes right or wrong within society.
What is Act Utilitarianism?
Assesses each separate act according to whether it maximises pleasure over pain NOW.
What is Rule Utilitarianism?
We should assess situations on the basis of whether the acts we are considering are compatible with moral rules which increase utility in the LONG RUN.
What is Preference Utilitarianism?
Adopted by Peter Singer, argues that we should seek always the good we would rationally prefer rather than simply our selfish desires or pleasure/happiness.
What did Bentham say about the Motivation of Humans?
Nature has given humans two sovereigns; Pleasure and pain. These dictate our decisions.
What is Psychological Hedonism?
Bentham takes it as a self evident fact that humans are governed by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.
What is The Hedonic Calculus?
A theoretical system for calculating the amount of pain or pleasure generated. No one type of pleasure is better than another so it is measured based on intensity, duration, certainty, remoteness, richness and purity.
According to Bentham, what is the good?
Happiness.
What are Higher and Lower pleasures?
Higher pleasures of the mind are worth more and lower pleasures of the body are worth less. Qualified judges who are familiar with both always regard higher pleasures as worth more than lower ones.
What is Mill’s proof of Utilitarianism?
- The only proof that an object is visible is if people actually see it
- The only proof that sound is audible is if people actually hear it
- Something is desirable if people desire it
- Each person desires their own happiness.
- Each person’s happiness is a good to that person
- Since morality is concerned with what is desirable for all, general happiness is the ultimate moral standard.
What is Mill’s quote on higher and lower pleasures?
‘It is better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied, better to be a Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.’
What is Nozick’s Experience Machine?
If humanity is truly hedonistic it will use the machine which simulates 100% happiness. And yet, most people don’t want to.
What is the Tyranny of the Majority?
Act Util ignores the minority. Anything could be morally justifiable if it leads to pleasure for the majority, e.g., torture.
What is the issue of partiality and relationships against utilitarianism?
Act Util wants us to be impartial, but in reality we almost always want to be partial to our loved ones.
What are the problems with using the Hedonic Calculus?
For one, what counts as pleasure is extremely subjective. Secondly, the HC is time consuming and complicating, which makes it difficult to apply consistently.
What do some critics say of utilitarianism?
That it ignores integrity and intentions.
