Theme 3 (Utilitarianism) Flashcards
What is Utilitarianism?
+ John Stuart Mill quote
- possible problems with this?
an ethical theory that maintains that an action is right if it produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number
- theory of usefulness
- social utility (useful for welfare of society)
+ “actions are right to the degree that they tend to promote the greatest good for the greatest number”
- may justify suffering of others e.g bullying or gang rape
- “good” is also very subjective
What is a consequentialist theory?
+ what does this mean?
a theory which understands rightness & wrongness of an action by looking at the consequences
- for some, decisions can be influenced by religion e.g committing sin & gaining bad karma
- for some, decisions can be influenced by the outcome- hurting someone’s feelings
- for some, decisions can be influenced by the law
What is a teleological theory & what does this mean?
+ what is a relativist theory?
a theory which argues all ethical actions are directed towards achieving a goal or purpose
- for some, this goal is Heaven
- for some, this goal is living their best life
- for some, this goal is happiness for all/majority
+ a theory which doesn’t follow any absolute universal rules. Each situation has to be looked at independently
Who is Jeremy Bentham?
+ when was he alive & how would this era have influenced him?
English philosopher, jurist & social reformer regarded as the founder of modern utilitarianism
+ Victorian England & time of Industrial Revolution
+ no welfare state or adequate help for the poor (workhouses)
+ lack of equal rights for women
+ child labour & poor working conditions
+ bad prison conditions
Why & how was Jeremy Bentham considered a social reformer?
- supported equal opportunity & education (helped to found UCL)
- involved in making prisons more humane
- helped to bring about laws on child labour in Public Health Act
- thought animal rights should be considered
- called for the abolishment of slavery
- called for an early version of welfare
- called for equal rights for women
+ “greatest happiness of the greatest number”
+ “create all the happiness you are able to create”
+ “the question is not can animals speak but can they suffer”
What is Act Utilitarianism?
+ what is Hedonism & where did it originate from?
Idea associated with Bentham:
- each situation is different so must be calculated afresh
- no universal moral norms or rules (relativist)
- applies hedonic calculus to each ‘act’ to see if it fulfills the ‘principal of utility’
- actions are right if they produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number
- considers the consequences of an action
+ the view that pleasure is the chief good
+ came from Plato & Aristotle who argued ‘good’ equated with the greatest happiness
What is Bentham’s hedonic calculus?
+ what are the 7 elements (DR PEPCI)
Measurement of happiness (pleasure-pain) & the seven elements that must be considered when calculating the amount of happiness
1) Intensity: stronger=better e.g eating nice food
2) Duration: longer-lasting=better (link to Egoism)
3) Certainty:
4) Extent: more people=better e.g pilgrimage
5) Propinquity: nearer to you=better
6) Richness: more chance of repetition=better
7) Purity: least amount of pain=better
What does Bentham think about happiness?
+ Bentham quotes
- Pleasure & the absence of pain
- there is no hierarchy of the different types of happiness
- our two sovereign masters are pleasure & pain
- empirical observation shows we desire pleasure & seek to avoid pain
+ “happiness… is the supreme ethical value”
+“an act is ‘right’ if it delivers more pleasure than pain
+ “greatest happiness of the greatest number”
+ “create all the happiness you are able to create”
+ “actions are right in proportion when they tend to promote happiness”
