Teleological thinking Utilitarianism?consequensalism Flashcards
what did Aristotle stand for (Utilitarian)
Happiness is the highest good and end at which all our activities ultimately aim. all our activities aim at some end, though most of these ends are means towards others. for example , we go grocery shopping to buy food, but buy buying food is itself a means towards the end of eating well and thriftily. eating well and thriftily is also not an end in itself but as a means to other ends.
What was David Humes opinion on how we think?
Actions are driven by the feeling side of human beings and this is what our motivations are driven by. Our motivations are driven by two masters pleasure and pain, we seek to maximise pleasure and minimise pain. David Hume looks more at the pleasure and pain to oneself rather than the greater good. Hume believed that our action were based on our feelings, as to wether that action will give us pleasure or pain. an individual will go to a nice restaurant as they feel they will get pleasure out of it. whereas an individual will avoid fighting as they feel it will cause them pain. we base our actions on our feelings. He believed we test right or wrong according to its outcome
when was David Hume Born
In 1711-1776
what is utilitarianism based on?
Consequentialism
Who is John Bentham?
A utilitarian, inspired by Hume, although Bentham’s views were different. Because he believed the masters of pleasure and pain but thought it was about the pleasure and pain of the greatest good rather than to oneself.
what year was John Bentham born?
1748 (37 years after Hume)
what did John Bentham believe about happiness
happiness - a moral act is an act taking place for the right reason, the decision of the act should be based on the consequences of that act. The consequences being the greatest happiness principle. The greatest happiness principle - Take the action that creates the most amount of happiness. the greater good.
What was John Bentham against, although he believed it to be true?
Disagrees with egoism (self interest) and believes we should act as utilitarian but we have a tendency to act in egoism (self interest) but sometimes we do act for the greater good. he believes we all seek pleasure mainly through egoism but sometimes we do act to please the greatest number.
is it true that John Bentham believed that you must use whatever means are necessary to achieve an end that increases happiness. it doesn’t matter why you did the action only that the end result is an increase in happiness?
Yup
Who was John Stuart Mill inspired by?
BENTHAM
Mill mostly agreed with Bentham, but he believed that there were high and low measures of pleasure and pain. mill disagreed with Bentham that there was one all inclusive pleasure. he argued that not everyone has the same idea of pleasure. he believed that when someone felt two forms of pleasure that it was only natural for them to continue to seek that higher form of pleasure.
Who was Taught by Bentham?
John staurt Mills, he’s father was a good friend of Bentham
what four elements of action do we have to consider according to Hume?
- Intensity (the intensity of the pleasure)
- Duration (how long the pleasure will last)
- Certainty (likelihood the action will lead to happiness)
- Propinquity (when will the pleasure come, just now or in the future)
When we consider whether to do something or not we take into account these four factors. If it is an action that is pleasurable then it is an action that you should engage in. however on the other hand if it is going to lead to pain then you shouldn’t do it.
what year was Mill Born and where?
Piccadilly London 1806
What was Mills View on Morals
Mill thought that virtue (character) should be brought into the utilitarianism scope, utilitarianism makes happiness the goal, whereby happiness is the maximum of pleasure and minimum amounts of pain. Goods such as money, friends, love, work etc. he classed as all being a good thing because they provide more pleasure than pain. Mills said it is not the goods that we are interested in, it’s the pleasure given to us by those goods
More of Mills views
Mill said, if that really was the case then utilitarian’s would have some problems, he points out that when it comes to virtue (character) he says as humans we desire things that are not only happiness but we desire things like virtue in the absence of vice (Do what is right and avoid what is wrong). There is a desire within most of us to think of ourselves as having good character traits and not having bad character traits. And there also people who have an extra desire to be associated with good character traits. Some of us just seek in life to be a noble person and be remembered for it, he further stated that as cultures differ so will the traits that are deemed to be good.
However, we don’t like to think of ourselves of having bad traits and we do we like to underplay them, for example one may have bad anger traits but they won’t want to look at it that they are necessarily harmful to others. Mills says people desire virtue over vice just as much as they desire to give pleasure and pain. He says Virtue becomes the means of happiness. People act based on the fact that they seek happiness through being a virtuous person. People think that over the duration of their live they will receive more overall happiness if they are a virtuous person and try to erase vice.
He says utilitarian’s can get behind this, he says utilitarian’s place virtue at the forefront of things which are good as an end. Meaning that happiness as an end has virtue included within it, he says virtue is not only a means to happiness but it is also a component of happiness, he says happiness comes in different forms for different people.
