Utilitarianism Flashcards
What must you know for Utilitarianism
Utility (Bentham)
Hedonic Calculus (Bentham)
Act Utilitarianism (Bentham)
Rule utilitarianism (Mill)
What is Utility in Utilitarianism
Bentham proposes that actions are ‘useful’ if they produce more happiness, pleasure or goodness and prevent pain or misery
‘the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong’
What are the features of Utilitarianism
It is teleological as ‘an action is good if it has good consequences’
it is Relativist as it is relative to how we should behave
What does Bentham believe about human nature
That we go towards pleasure and run away from pain, nature created us - not God
What is the Hedonic Calculus in utilitarianism
It is a system for working out the amount of pain and pleasure and balancing it out
What 7 factors make up the Hedonic Calculus within Utilitarianism
Intensity - how strong
Duration - how long
Certainty - how likely occurrence
Propinquity - how soon will it occur
Fecundity - will pleasure lead to more pleasure?
Purity - will pain lead to more pain
Extent - How many people will be affected
What is Act Utilitarianism and what is an issue with it
We should always perform the act that leads to the greatest balance of good over evil (Bentham)
Happiness for the greatest good yes but what about the appearance of sadistic guards? it still involves someone suffering which can be avoided
What is Rule Utilitarianism and why is it good
We should always follow the rule that leads to the greatest balance of good over evil (Mill)
Rule is good because it implements rules / laws generally lead to greater goods.
e.g. driving fast is pleasurable for 4/5 passengers in the car. Act Utilitarianism would agree to keep driving as it bring the most joy. Rule Utilitarianism argues that they shouldn’t because it is against the law and the law leads to good.
Rule utilitarianism leads to a more absolute idea.
What are the strengths of Utilitarianism
It is straightforward, do the most good and the least harm, it makes it easy for moral dilemmas to be solved
It is secular, it doesn’t rely on possible outdated scriptures
There is no personal bias or favourites
What are the weaknesses of Utilitarianism
How can we predict what a consequence of something will be 100% of the time?
How can pain and pleasure be measured well
We may have different opinions to pleasure and pain
What are Mills higher and lower pleasures
Mill rejects Bentham’s hedonic calculus, for Mill its Quality over Quantity (opposed to Bentham)
Mill argues that there are higher (social, intellectual) and lower pleasures such as (food, sex, sleep), Mill argued that higher pleasures should be ranked above lower when deciding on ‘the most joy’
How can you apply Utilitarianism
Euthanasia - Greatest good satisfies people, they should be able to end their lives if they want to!
Business ethics - We are more likely to make more money and business if we make more money and don’t cheat cusmtomers
MORE happier = better
