Utilitarianism Flashcards
What is Utilitarianism?
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that looks to create the greatest good for the greatest number.
Rather than focusing on rules that should not be broken (deontological ethics) it is teleological.
Who proposed utilitarianism?
Bentham and Mill
How does Bentham measure happiness?
Bentham measures happiness in quantitive terms only. How much pleasure is produced.
What is Bentham’s utilitarianism?
Bentham ethical’s theory started with an observation of what really mattered to people, and this meant confronting the good and evil in life, the happiness and the trials of living.
Bentham comes to his conclusion through observation of human life. We respond to our most basic needs which shows the essence of hedonism.
What is Bentham’s principle of utility?
The principle of utility uses the human instinct to seek pleasure but applies a democratic principle. It’s not enough to talk about the individual when thinking about utility, we must consider community and the sum of the interest of all people in the community.
Bentham says, ‘it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong’. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. The common good is the principle Bentham wants to project. This is his democratic moral principle. It is the happiness of the community, the aggregation of all indivudal wants, more than any individual, that matters.
What is the hedonic calculus?
The hedonic calculus calculates the balance of pleasure, well-being, or goodness, as opposed to pain or evil. I may decide I gain great happiness from having many slaves to look after me and do all the work I need to be done, but the majority live in suffering - as slaves. Indivudal beneift is not enough for utilitarianism. Rules that benefit the minority and leave the majority in pain are not good enough. A number of factors need to be considered to evaluate this balance of good and evil.
What are the factors that need to be considered when evaluating the balance of good and evil?
A number of factors need to be considered to evaluate this balance of good and evil. Bentham suggests the following: Its intensity. Its duration. Its certainty and uncertainty. Its propinquity or remoteness. Its fecundity, the chance it has of being followed by sensations of the same kind: that is pleasures if it be pleasure, pains if it be a pain. Its purity, or the chance it has of not being followed by sensations of the opposite kind: that is pains, if it be a pleasure, pleasures if it be a pain. Its extent.
How does Mill measure happiness?
Mill measures happiness by applying qualitative pains and pleasures. Mill thinks some kinds of pain and pleasure are worth more than other kinds.
What is Mill’s Utilitarianism?
Mill’s utilitarianism is based on the fact that higher pleasures should be prioritised over low pleasures. ‘…it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied - it is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied’.
Education, culture, developing skills, etc. have a higher quality than short term pleasures like food and sex.
How does Mill distinguish the lower and higher pleasures?
Mill distinguished the lower pleasures like drinking, sex, eating, rest, from the higher pleasures like intellectual, aesthetic, social enjoyment, spirituality). The lower pleasures provide powerful gratification but if we overindulge, they bring pain. He distinguished the higher from the lower by claiming a person would always value the higher over the lower.
What is Act utilitarianism?
Act utilitarianism is an individual action that must be guided by the principle of maximising pleasure/good in each situation. Example: A driver breaking the speed limit to get a woman in labour to hospital.
What is Rule Utilitarianism?
Rules exist in order to maximise good for society as a whole. Example: Cars stop when the traffic lights turn red to allow pedestrians to cross. Rule utilitarianism may not bring pleasure for the individual (eg no one likes paying taxes) but the pleasure of the individual is sacrificed for the good of society (we all benefit from the street lighting that the taxes pay for).
Weaknesses of Utilitarianism
- what about the minority? Utilitarianism accepts that some people will not benefit but these are the collateral damage for the majority that do benefit
- what happens if pleasure is gained at the expense of the pain experienced by the minority. Is this justified?
- the hedonic calculus is not fit for purpose. It’s impractical
- you cannot always accurately predict an outcome e.g. Moscow theatre siege
- what’s wrong with lower pleasures?
Strengths of Utilitarianism
- it’s secular meaning you don’t need to be religious to get it
- it benefits most people - it works well with large institutions, for example, school, hospital etc
- it’s common sense in that you have a fairly good idea of what the outcome is going to be if people follow the rules
- it’s secular meaning you don’t need to be religious to get it
