utilitarianism Flashcards
what is the utility principle
the greatest good for the greatest number
what are the two types of utilitarianism
act
rule
what is act utilitarianism
it sees each persons happiness as being based on the quality of pleasure and pain
is act quantity of quality
quantity
who is the scholar of act
jeremy bentham
what is goof according to the utility principle
what brings about the greatest happiness
for the greatest number
increasing net benefit/decreasing net harm
raising aggregate happiness
what increases pleasure will decrease pain
when was the theory made
18th century when there was a lot of social change
does bentham believe believe about pleasures
that they are all equal
what’s the hedonic calculus
a way to calculate the outcome of an action to workout a calculation of pain and pleasure
whats the seven elements of the hedonic calculus
purity - how free from pain it is
remoteness - how closely it can be felt
extent - how widespread will the results be
duration - how long does the sensation last
intensity - how weak or strong is the pleasurable experience
certainty - how likely is it for any given future action
richness - will it lead to other pleasures
what are some strengths of the hedonic calculus
using numbers to make a decision gives a clear outcome for what people should do
gives flexibility to use their own reason to predict consequences
valid use of logic and reason
clear cut in terms of it has seven different elements to help us understand pleasure and pain
what are the weaknesses of the hedonic calculus
time consuming to go through
too flexible as it is someone’s own judgment and reason about pain and pleasure
difficult to apply to multiple different people at different times
too confusing and too many different options
whats rule utilitarianism
where the quality of someone’s pain or pleasure is more prioritised than the quantity
who was the scholar for rule
John Stuart Mill
what did mill think about benthams view
it was very limited and only concerned with promoting pleasure
what are mills two categories of pleasure
base and higher
what are some examples of base pleasures
food, water, heat
what are some examples of higher pleasures
meditation, reading, learning
what are the problems with only having base pleasures
if you over indulge on base pleasures it can cause harm
makes us no better than animals - leads to a disordered society
it creates pleasure that is individualistic and selfish
what is the harm principle
when referring to the pressure which a majority can impose on a minority, he argued that this ought to be limited to the prevention of harm to others
what is preference utilitarianism
considers whether a decision is right or wring by asking whether it fits in what people would rationally prefer
singer was concerned about minorities and felt all minorities and individuals should be taken into account when decision making
