Police Ethics-Chapter 8, Utilitarianism

Question 1

“The utilitarian doctrine asserts that we should always act so as to produce the greastest possible ratio of good to evil for everyone concerned”

Answer 1

John Stuart Mill

Question 2

Utilitarian school was developed by two nineteenth-century Englsihmen

Answer 2

First-Jeremy Bentham

Later- John Stuart Mill, most famous proponent

Question 3

By the term ______ we mean the view that the sole, ultimate standard of right and wrong is the principle of utility. In everything we do, we are to seek the greatest possible balance of good over evil in the world. When judging what is right or wrong thing to do in life, the only criterion to be considered is the good or evil (the consequences) a choice would bring into the world.

Answer 3

Utilitarianism

Question 4

hedonist

Answer 4

pleasure seeker….John Stuart Mill was a hedonist and claimed that the moral end of action si the greatest balance of pleasure over pain.

Question 5

Utilitarianism is democratic in a sense. They believe that in deciding ethical questions, the best means to desired ends and which choice would maximize the good for the greatest number of people. This principle tells us to distribute good to more people. The principle of utility thus becomes a double principle, for it tells us to ?

Answer 5

1. maximize the balance of good over evil

2. to distribute this as widely as possible

Question 6

Limits of Absolute Duty…St Petersburg Russia, 1917

Answer 6

during World War 11, riots broke out in russia by russian people who were starving. Gov could not control the people and called in on the Navy to take up arms and join the police in combating the starving poor people. Sailers refused. Sailors beleived it was not right or ethical to fight against their own compatriots and to them theirs was a higher duty on that day. This act was one reason the Russian Revolution was born.

Question 7

Who’s moral philosophy believed that happiness is irrelevant to ethics. He regarded happiness as irrelevant or beside the point.

Answer 7

Kant

Question 8

Two kinds of utilitarianism

Answer 8

1. Rule utilitarianism- focuses on good of the entire community/society.
2. Act utilitarianism- focuses on individual happiness

Question 9

Limitations of Utilitarianism

Answer 9

1. difficult to calculate amounts of good and evil
2. merely being good for the majority does not necessarily make an act moral- it ignores the righs of minorities and of individual citizens.
3. there is no basis for choosing between equal amounts of good an evil
4. deterring crime, it does not matter who is punished- the guilty or the innocent.

Question 10

Utilitarianism focus on deterrence suggest this immorality can be overlooked in the name of doing good (deterring criminality) for the majority.

Answer 10

this height of unfairness to the unjustly punished–it is unethical.

Question 11

neither of these two approaches ___ ___will satify all of the needs of all police officer all of the time.

Answer 11

ethical formalism or utilitarianism

Question 12

act utilitarianism

Answer 12

the idea that the calculation of the utility of a particular choice of action is sometimes made realtive t the particular situation and , thus, particular individual

Question 13

capital punishment

Answer 13

involves the execution of criminals

Question 14

general deterrence

Answer 14

idea that by punishing some criminals, others in the general population will be deterred from committing crimes; particularly cogent regarding the debate over capital punishment

Question 15

hedonist

Answer 15

person who seeks out pleasure

Question 16

Jeremy Bentham

Answer 16

one of the fathers of utilitarianism; raised John Stuart Mill as a son

Question 17

lifeboat problem

Answer 17

discussion in world of ethics- utilitarian ehtics in particular– what should be done to save the majority of people in a sinking life boat if several people must be sacrificed for the good of rest

Question 18

Mil, John Stuart

Answer 18

one of fathers of utilitarianism; author of famous explanation of individual rights, “On Liberty”, along with his wife, an early pioneering author in support of womens rights and social welfare legistlation.

Question 19

rule of utilitarianism

Answer 19

idea that the calculation of the utility of any particular choice of action should be done relative to the entire community or society as a whole.

Question 20

specific deterrence

Answer 20

idea that by incapacitating a criminal that particular individual is deterred from committing other crimes