Utilitarianism Flashcards
what is Act utilitarianism
decide what to do for EACH individual act, not rules
teleological
what is utilitarianism
doctrine that says right thing to do is one that produces most pleasure for most people
principle of utility
most pleasure for most people
what is rule utilitarianism
decide what to do by following rules
Give 3 of the categories of Bentham’s hedonic calculus
- duration- how long the pleasure lasts
- extent- how many people experience the pleasure
- intensity- how strong is the pleasure
what are higher pleasures
pleasures of the mind
e.g. reading, poetry
why is the hedonic calculus impractical
- moral decisions usually split second choices- limited time
- cant quantify pleasure- it is a feeling, not literal
- pleasure is subjective- someones pleasure may be another’s pain
name of Bentham’s book
‘introduction to principles of morals and legislation’
who says
‘it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied’
what does he mean
- mill
- better to have lower pleasures but aim to achieve higher pleasures
rather than have lower pleasures and be satisfied with them
what are lower pleasures
pleasures of the body
e.g food, sleep, sex
what is thomas Carlyle’s rejection to bentham’s utilitarianism
‘philosophy fit for swine’
- encourages people to live like pigs and pursue pleasure by any means possible
- if the only good is feeling good, humans are no different than pigs
what is Henry Sidgwick’s objection to Mill
cant distinguish between higher and lower pleasures
E.g reading book about food, includes both higher and lower but cannot know which one takes priority
name of peter singers book
practical ethics
in what book does Bentham say ‘natural rights is simple nonsense’
‘Anarchial fallacies’
what is preference utlitarianism
to do what is best is to take into account everyone’s interests and preferences
good as it considers human rights