Utilitarianism Flashcards
Introduction
Teleological proposition, developed by Jeremy Bentham
Presupposes a Naturalistic theory which focuses on the principle of Utility ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’
Act Utilitarianism
Bentham ‘Principles and moral legislation’
-Bentham – hedonistic = good as pleasure, focused on the principle of utility as a measure for morality
First problems with act util
-Immoral acts justified i.e., the oppression of minority groups within society
What did Bentham develop
Developed Hedonic Calculus made of seven factors so can be easily applied to moral dilemmas, so the principle of utility is best served:
Intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity and extent.
Advantages of act util
Can be relativised to each individual situation so that the greatest number of people are happy - reasonable
Disadvantages of hedonic calculus
1)Not easy to know in many circumstances which people should be included in the calculation e.g whether you should include the impact on society or on future generations – and how would you ever be able to discern the extent of the impact
2)most people do not have sufficient time or information to make the necessary calculation.
3)Hedonic calculus does not account for the different pleasures that people may feel and immoral acts can be justified i.e. a sadistic torturer can be justified because the torturer is using the greatest happiness principle if their happiness is greater than that of the person they are torturer then they can torture all they want.
Phillipa Foot criticism of bentham
Philippa Foot- a train is heading towards a group of children, and you are able to divert it to kill one elderly tramp, according to utilitarianism you should do this. (Teleological only concerned with the outcome, not the action itself)
-Humans reduced to actions and not emotions – is this practical/ appliable
Mill Rule Util
Mill takes into account the quality of pleasure which is an improvement to the theory, because it removes bad pleasures such as the sadistic torturers.
Rejected hedonic Calculus approach as some pleasures are higher than others; High pleasures – intellectual level only humans experience do not satisfy basic human urges but help people develop intellectually e.g. poetry
People should be constantly striving to achieve their highest potential and not as Mill states as ‘pig-like’ desires that can easily be satisfied i.e. getting drunk
More of an emphasis on individual happiness considering issues generally and making rules that cover a range of situation which avoids the oppression of minority groups
Advantages of Mill
1) Universalised – legalistic approach easily appliable
2) It might be argued that rule utilitarianism is more useful than act because it is quicker in terms of decision making to apply a rule than to attempt to way up all the facts involved in each case.
Disadvantage of Mill
1) Action unclear when rules overlap i.e. rules about telling the truth and saving lives but if we are asked by a murderer where his next victim is hiding we cannot satisfy both rules
2) Does not tailor to individual situations and may have to be exceptions dependant on the circumstance
3) it seems to place preservation of the rule above the need of the individual e.g. if someone wants an abortion as they were raped, but the law is against abortions. In the case of Mill’s theory of liberty, he is reluctant to prevent individual harm, simply because the rule of maximising liberty should be adhered to for the greatest general happiness.
General strengths of util as an ethical theory
knows and recognises that happiness is something which everyone wants and harm is something everyone wants to avoid. Major strength is that it is secular and not dependant on religion – useful with the growth of Atheism within Western cultures
General weaknesses of util as an ethical theory
This strength that is doesn’t rely on religion is a weakness for religious people. A major flaw with utilitarianism is that it does not give enough consideration to the needs of the minority people. If the greatest happiness for the greatest number is always the principle, those who are made happy for different reasons will lose out and be ignored.
Preference Util
Modern – negative Utilitarianism focussed on minimising suffering rather than maximising pleasure – individuals can pursue pleasure as long as does not interfere with others pursuit of happiness/ commit speciesism (Placing other species higher than others)
e.g. Giving money to the poor is an action many people may prefer even if the outcomes do not directly lead to our own satisfaction.
Strengths of preference util
ubbiased/ impartial still retains all the strengths of preference and rule utilitarianism
