Utilitarianism

Question 1

What does utilitarianism aim to create?

Answer 1

Greatest good for the greatest number

Question 2

Is it deontological or teleological?

Answer 2

Teleological

Question 3

Is it a religious moral following?

Answer 3

No

Question 4

Who are the three main adapters?

Answer 4

Jeremy Bentham
John Stuart Mill
Peter Singer

Question 5

Is it consequentialist?

Answer 5

Yes

Question 6

Who was the first utilitarian thinker?

Answer 6

Bentham

Question 7

What type of utilitarianism did he invent?

Answer 7

Act Utilitarianism

Question 8

What did Bentham say the two sovereign masters that govern us are?

Answer 8

Pleasure and Pain

Question 9

What is the utility principle?

Answer 9

An action is correct if it promotes happiness and wrong if it creates pain

Question 10

What method is used to apply the utility principle?

Answer 10

The Hedonic Calculus

Question 11

How many factors should be taken into account in the hedonic calculus?

Answer 11

7

Question 12

What is a pseudonym for the 7 factors?

Answer 12

Pretty
Red
Roses
In
Certain
Earths
Die

Question 13

What does purity mean?

Answer 13

Will the pain lead to another pain?

Question 14

What does remoteness mean?

Answer 14

Is the pleasure or pain in the near or distant future?

Question 15

What does richness mean?

Answer 15

Will this pleasure lead to another pleasure?

Question 16

What does intensity mean?

Answer 16

Is the pleasure or pain intense?

Question 17

What does certainty mean?

Answer 17

How certain are you that the pleasure or pain will actually happen?

Question 18

What does extent mean?

Answer 18

The number of people that would be affected by the pleasure or pain

Question 19

What does duration mean?

Answer 19

Will the pleasure or pain last a long or short time?

Question 20

What does Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism ignore?

Answer 20

Moral obligations

Question 21

Who was the second utilitarian thinker?

Answer 21

Mill

Question 22

What were Mill’s main criticisms of Act utilitarianism?

Answer 22

Pleasure and pain are subjective
Can lead to large consequences
The HC is too complex and isn’t quick

Question 23

What was Mill’s utilitarianism called?

Answer 23

Rule Utilitarianism

Question 24

Was Mill’s approach quantitative or qualitative?

Answer 24

Qualitative

Question 25

What did Mill say about Bentham’s approach being degrading to humanity and morality?

Answer 25

‘Doctrine worthy only of swine’

Question 26

How did Mill change utilitarianism?

Answer 26

Distinguished between higher and lower pleasures

Question 27

Which pleasures are better? Higher or lower?

Answer 27

Higher

Question 28

What are higher pleasures?

Answer 28

Intellectual and social

Question 29

What are examples of higher pleasures?

Answer 29

Philosophy, opera

Question 30

What are lower pleasures?

Answer 30

Have gratification but bad if we overindulge

Question 31

What are examples of lower pleasures?

Answer 31

Food, sleep, sex

Question 32

What is Mill thinking of to help achieve?

Answer 32

Eudaimonia

Question 33

What is the ‘harm principle’?

Answer 33

If an action involved harming another person it was wrong

Question 34

What was the main difference between Bentham and Mill?

Answer 34

Bentham wanted pleasure for the majority Mill wanted the greatest amount of happiness for the whole of human society

Question 35

Which utilitarianism focuses on the individual situation?

Answer 35

Act

Question 36

Which utilitarianism looks at the greatest good for society?

Answer 36

Rule

Question 37

What is an example of how immorality can be justified in Bentham’s theories?

Answer 37

The Sadistic Guards

Question 38

What are disadvantages to utilitarianism?

Answer 38

We can’t predict the consequences Takes time - HC Minority groups could be unfairly treated

Question 39

What type of Utilitarianism did Singer create?

Answer 39

Preference Utilitarianism

Question 40

How does it solve the problems of Bentham and Mills?

Answer 40

Argues that people should be able to pursue their preferences as long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone else’s pursuit of happiness

Question 41

What does preference utilitarianism focus more on?

Answer 41

Minimising pain rather than increasing pleasure

Question 42

What does altruism mean?

Answer 42

Unselfish love for others

Question 43

Who thought altruism was important?

Answer 43

Mill

Question 44

What is also a difference with Mill and Bentham?

Answer 44

Bentham's hedonic calculus focuses on pleasure whereas Mill's principle of utility focuses on happiness

Question 45

What are the three steps of the principle of utility?

Answer 45

1. Happiness is desirable 2. Happiness is the only thing desirable as an end in 3. General happiness of all is desirable. Increasing happiness of others increases your own

Question 46

Why did Mill link his theory with Jesus' Golden rule : “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. . . .” ?

Answer 46

People didn't see the need in a new ethical theory with Jesus' beatitudes, so he framed it as an extra part to Jesus' teachings to attract Christians