Utilitarianism

Question 1

Describe Jeremy Bentham

Answer 1

• social reformer
• lived during the industrial revolution
• developed an ethical theory which deemed things right or wrong in accordance to the benefit of the majority of society

Question 2

Give some of the foundations behind utilitarianism

Answer 2

• dreadful living and working conditions
• abolition of the slave trade
• rich factory owners exploiting poor workers
• development of the postal system
• rejection of church authority
• prisoners were treated badly
• there were problems with alcoholism and prostitution
• prison reform
• great reform act 1832
• 1833 factory reform act banning children under 9 working in factories
• 1847 factory act banning all children from working more than 10 hours per day

Question 3

What does it mean when we say utilitarianism is consequentialist?

Answer 3

It is concerned with the outcome, not the will or intention of the moral agent. Places the ethical judgement purely on whether the act has produced the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people

Question 4

What does it mean when we say utilitarianism is relativistic?

Answer 4

Believes what is right will depend on the situation. Sometimes an action will be right and sometimes it won’t depending on whether it produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number

Question 5

What does instrumental mean?

Answer 5

Utilitarianism believes that no actions have intrinsic value, only instrumental value if they produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Utilitarians think that the ends always justifies the means

Question 6

List two disadvantages to consequentialist ethical theories

Answer 6

• the intention of the moral agent is not considered. It seems wrong to call someone who accidentally maximised pleasure while performing an evil act a good person
• very hard to predict the secondary or indirect consequences of actions. A focus on adherence to moral laws may be more practical

Question 7

Give two advantages of consequentialist ethical theories

Answer 7

• it is right to focus on outcomes and consequences as only these have an effect on peoples lives
• as humans, we are naturally concerned with the effect our actions will have on others and are generally forward looking

Question 8

What did Bentham mean when he said we are under the governance of two sovereign masters?

Answer 8

He thought these to be pleasure and pain. He called them this because he thought it is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as determine what we shall do

Question 9

What is a descriptive claim?

Answer 9

They describe how things are

Question 10

What is a normative claim?

Answer 10

One that tells us how things ought to be

Question 11

What is the principle of utility?

Answer 11

When faced with an ethical decision, we should choose the course of action that maximises pleasure and minimises pain for the greatest number of people

Question 12

What is hedonism?

Answer 12

Originated in Greece, it is a philosophical position which holds that pleasure is the ultimate good in life

Question 13

What is act utilitarianism?

Answer 13

The theory which holds that the right action is one which maximises pleasure and minimises pain

Question 14

State and describe the seven measures of happiness in the hedonic calculus

Answer 14

1) intensity - how strong or weak the happiness is
2) duration - how long the happiness will last
3) certainty - how sure you are that the happiness will occur
4) propinquity/remoteness - how near or remote in time the happiness is
5) fecundity/richness - how likely the happiness is to reoccur or lead to future happiness
6) purity - how free from pain the happiness is
7) extent - how far the happiness will reach

Question 15

List the weaknesses of act utilitarianism

Answer 15

• happiness is more complex than the hedonic calculus assumes and it is therefore extremely hard to measure.
• one principle is not sufficient for the complexity of ethical decision making or the different types of ethical situation that arise
• denies the existence of other virtues, like those described in Christianity
• happiness is subjective and people have different opinions on what is pleasurable
• humans are unable to know whether the consequences of their actions will actually result in a maximisation of happiness
• could be used to justify any action so long as it was in line with the principle of utility. This could include torturing an innocent child for the enjoyment of a large number of sadists
• happiness could be unfairly distributes between minorities and the majority

Question 16

List some of the strengths of act utilitarianism

Answer 16

• maximising pleasure and minimising pain is already seen as a desirable way of life by most people
• would only allow extreme actions in extreme situations
• provides the flexibility to respond in an appropriate way
• the focus on the majority is similar to democracy
• ensures the once of a minority are not allowed to dominate and take away from the majority

Question 17

What are higher pleasures?

Answer 17

Pleasures that help people reach their full intellectual potential

Question 18

What are lower pleasures?

Answer 18

Pleasures that help people fulfil their basic needs and urges

Question 19

What quote summarises mills philosophy?

Answer 19

‘it is better to be a human being satisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool or the pig think otherwise, that is because they only know their own side of the question’

Question 20

Define rule utilitarianism

Answer 20

Holds that the right action is one that follows rules that, if universally followed, would create the maximum amount of happiness and the minimum amount of pain

Question 21

List the strengths of rule utilitarianism

Answer 21

• recognise our strong internal conviction that an action can’t be right purely because it produces happiness.
• easier to apply than act because there are clear rules to follow
• removes the difficult and time consuming process of trying to figure out how to best apply the principle of utility in each situation

Question 22

List the weaknesses of rule utilitarianism

Answer 22

• how are moral agents supposed to distinguish between higher and lower pleasures?
• the focus on rules removes the benefits of situationalism and consequentialism
• when, if ever, can the rules be broken if they are obviously not following the principle of utility; the debate has not ended, it has simply shifted.

Question 23

What does utility mean?

Answer 23

Usefulness

Question 24

What does Bentham measure pleasure and pain in?

Answer 24

Hedons and dolars

Question 25

Bentham came up with what kind of theory for measuring pleasure!

Answer 25

Quantitative

Question 26

Utilitarianism is a normative ethic. What is a normative ethic?

Answer 26

An ethic concerned with the criteria for what makes something right and wrong

Question 27

Give a quote from mill about minority groups

Answer 27

‘if mankind minus one were of one opinion, then mankind were no more justified in silencing the one, than the one, if he had the power, to be justified in silencing mankind’

Question 28

Give a quote from mill about liberty

Answer 28

‘your freedom to punch me ends where my nose begins’

Question 29

How can utilitarianism provide a synoptic link?

Answer 29

The Irenaean Theodicy can be used as a counter point, as it suggests that pain does infact hold value