utilitarianism

Question 1

define principle of utility

Answer 1

judging the morality of actions by their usefulness in producing benefit and wellbeing

Question 2

describe Bentham’s utilitarianism?

Answer 2

• hedonistic act utilitarianism
• most moral decision causes GREATEST GOOD for GREATEST NUMBER on case by case basis
• calculated with hedonic calculus

Question 3

Hedonic Calculus

Answer 3

system for calculating pleasure/pain caused by action — PRRICED

Purity
Remoteness
Richness
Intensity
Certainty
Extent
Duration

Question 4

define hedonism

Answer 4

principle of pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain

Question 5

5 strengths of Bentham’s utilitarianism

Answer 5

— treats everyone EQUALLY 🟰
— theoretically leads to POSITIVE OUTCOMES 😁
— simple + straightforward ➡️
— can be applied to different societies; is RELATIVE 🌍. FLEXIBLE
— empirical and PRAGMATIC: based on what the world is currently, not what it should be

Question 6

weaknesses of Bentham’s utilitarianism

Answer 6

— TYRANNY 👿 OF MAJORITY (doesn’t consider individual liberty/rights)
— problems with CALCULATION ✖️➗➕➖ (subjectivity) (predicting consequences)
— issues around PARTIALITY 😣
— ignores INTENTION 🧐

— NOZICK

Question 7

how would Bentham respond to the issue of individual rights and liberty?

Answer 7

Human rights are an unnecessary human construct

Question 8

How might utilitarians respond to the issue of partiality

Answer 8

partiality is ideal, if everyone treats everyone equally and impartially society will be a better place

Question 9

How might utilitarians respond to the issue of ignoring intention?

Answer 9

Intention is essentially useless; consequences are what matter

Question 10

describe John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism

Answer 10

• hedonistic rule utilitarianism
• certain rules generally create more pleasure and less pain, these rules should ALWAYS be followed universally regardless of the individual situation
• HARM PRINCIPLE: always pursue own happiness unless it infringes on others’ ability to pursue happiness
• INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY: people being free to do unconventional things prevents dead dogmas, challenging and refreshing societal rules and status quo
• higher and lower pleasures

Question 11

higher pleasures according to Mill

Answer 11

unique to humans, either:
— requiring intellectual complexity
— engages aesthetic imagination
— engages moral sentiment

e.g. writing a book, donating to a life-saving charity, appreciating art 🖼

Question 12

lower pleasures according to Mill

Answer 12

immediate pleasures we desire like animals, instinctively (eating good chocolate 🍫 , enjoying good sex)

Question 13

4 strengths of Mill’s utilitarianism

Answer 13

— treats people EQUALLY 🟰
— theoretically leads to POSITIVE OUTCOMES 😁
— solves tyranny of majority
— allows for different forms/qualities of pleasure

Question 14

7 weaknesses of Mill’s utilitarianism

Answer 14

— problems with CALCULATION ➗✖️➖➕ (subjectivity, predicting consequences, what beings to include)
— issues with PARTIALITY
— ignores INTENTION 🧐
— higher and lower distinction may be SNOBBY and unnecessary
— who decides the RULES?
— rulesl might clash 💥

— NOZICK

Question 15

how might Mill respond to the issue that rules may clash?

Answer 15

the rule that is “trumped” by another more important rule can be broken

Question 16

outline Nozick’s argument against hedonism (5)

Answer 16

1. if experiencing as much pleasure as possible is all that matters, we should always do what gives most pleasure
2. plugging into the experience machine gives us the most pleasure
3. if all that matters to us is experiencing the most pleasure, we have no reason not to plug into machine
4. we have reason not to plug into the machine
5. so, experiencing the most pleasure isn’t all that matters to us: we aren’t truly (or simply) hedonists

Question 17

describe Singer’s 🧑‍🎤 utilitarianism

Answer 17

• preference act utilitarianism
• “an action contrary to the preference of any being is, unless the preference is outweighed by contrary preferences, wrong”
• concerned with preference (not pleasure) of all conscious beings
  (those who experience pain/pleasure and can anticipate future)
• must take pov of impartial spectator

Question 18

5 strengths of Singer’s 🧑‍🎤 preference utilitarianism

Answer 18

— SOLVES NOZICK’s thought experiment
— considers INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS and liberty
— treats all equally 🟰 (animal rights) 🐄 🐷
— theoretically creates POSITIVE OUTCOMES 😁
— simple and straightforward ➡️

Question 19

5 weaknesses of Singer’s 🧑‍🎤 preference utilitarianism

Answer 19

— values animal’s preferences equally to humans??
— doesn’t value non-conscious beings (babies, coma etc) 👶
— prioritises preference over other things (intention, virtue, value of life etc)
— issues with partiality
— certain preferences are antisocial and irrational and we shouldn’t indulge: what should we count?

Question 20

how might Bentham respond to Nozick?

Answer 20

Do it. Plug into the machine why not

Question 21

utilitarianism essay

Answer 21

hedonistic utilitarianism is fundamentally flawed and fails as a moral theory, but problems can be solved with Singer’s preference util!

1. Bentham: tyranny of the majority
   BUT it’s not an issue as the most happiness will always be generated if calculated properly
   BUT it seems deeply immoral and callous. Also to argue this would be to argue against many human rights but the majority of society would argue that human rights should be respected
2. Mill: solves this! Rule utilitarianism and Harm Principle, so better than Bentham
   BUT issues with rules: overlapping/contradictory rules?
   BUT they’re not categorical, we should pick the most important one
   BUT who has the authority of deciding the rules? how do we pick the rules? Morality too subjective for this, moral anti realist would argue rules are impossible
   Mill attempts to solve issue of individual rights for Bentham but his solution presents us with new complications so also fails
3. issue with both Bentham and Mill: pleasure is not everything!! Nozick’s Pleasure machine
   Singer preference util solves this AND considers animal rights AND individual rights and liberty