utilitarianism Flashcards
psychological hedonists
we always seek our own please
principle of utility
seek the greatest balance of good over evil, the greatest good for the greatest number
what are the characteristics in the hedonic calculus
- intensity
- duration
- certainty
- propinquity
- fecundity
- purity
-extent
what does fecundity mean
follow on of pleasure
what does propinquity mean
how soon
what does extent mean
how many ppl is it likely to affect
what did mill disagree with bentham on
- didnt gree with hedonism - good might be something other than pleasure
- not all pleasures are equal value (higher/lower)
- wanted a theory of utility for the common person
how did mill define happiness
something that is cultural and spiritual rather than just physical
mill said it was better to be a… than a…
dissatisfied socrates than a satisfied pig
what are epicureans
groups of intellectuals who thought mental pleasure was better than
peter singer and utilitarianism
preference utilitarianism
- prioritises satisfaction of preferences
altruism
what does peter singer mean about altruism
do what furthers the preferences of those affected and the best interests of those affected
2 positives of rule utilitarianism
-is less relative so means extremists will not do things (perception of pleasure diff)
- higher pleasure enrich Q.O.L and develop human abilities
- mirrors justice system: law, if broken go to court (if contradiction etc) - a natural thing in all societys so easy to follow
4 weakness of utilitarianism
- teleological - no sure idea what will happen
- how do we judge morality?
- some ppl not capable of moral reasoning so how do they know what to do
- naturalistic fallacy - pleasure isnt good
4 weaknesses of act utilitarianims
- hedonistic calculus is subjective
- no action is ruled out if satisfying a large enough group of people (paedophile rings)
- only focuses on outcome which cannot always be determined
- pleasure can be bad !
