UTILITARIANISM Flashcards
is an ethical theory that argues for the goodness of pleasure and the
determination of right behavior based on the usefulness of the actions
consequences. This means that pleasure is good and that the goodness of action is determined by its usefulness. Putting these ideas together, utilitarianism claims that one’s action and behavior are good in as much
as they are directed toward the experience of which refers to the
usefulness of the consequences of one’s action and behavior.
utilitarianism
This means that the goodness or the badness of an action is based on whether it is
useful in contributing to a specific purpose
for the greatest number of people.
Their system of ethics emphasizes the consequences of actions:
This means that the moral value of actions and decisions is based solely or greatly on the
usefulness of their consequences; it is the
usefulness of results that determines whether
the action or behavior is good or bad.
Utilitarianism is consequentialist:
This means that the usefulness of actions is based on its promotion of happiness as the experience of pleasure for the greatest number of persons, even at the expense of some individual rights.
The utilitarian value pleasure
and happiness:
He was the teacher of
James Mill, father of John Stuart Mill.
JEREMY BENTHAM
Bentham first wrote about the
greatest happiness principle of
ethics and was known for a system of penal management called
PANOPTICON
Intellectual inheritor of David
Hume
Recognized as ‘Act Utilitarian’
Right actions result in ‘good or pleasure,’ wrong actions result
in pain or absence of pleasure.
The Principle of Utility
Law and Social Hedonism
Felicific Calculus
JEREMY BENTHAM
The principle of utility is about our subjection to these sovereign masters:
PLEASURE AND PAIN
Actions that lead to PLEASURE ARE RIGHT, ones that produce PAIN ARE WRONG.
VV
Ethics as Greatest Happiness
= Moral worth judged by presumed effect
= Action guided by pleasure/pain
SOCIAL HEDONISM
Government should not pass laws that protect tradition, customs or rights
Government should base all laws on the happiness principle
The greatest happiness for the greatest number
Bentham’s theory is both empirical (how much pain or pleasure is caused by the act or policy) and democratic
(each individual’s happiness is as important as any other’s)
LAW
common currency framework that calculates the pleasure that some actions can produce.
FELICIFIC CALCULUS
In this framework, an action can be evaluated on the basis of intensity or strength of pleasure;
DURATION or length of the experience of pleasure.
CERTAINTY, UNCERTAINTY, or the likelihood that pleasure will occur; and
PROPINQUITY, REMOTENESS, or how soon there will be pleasure.
or the likelihood that pleasure will occur; and
CERTAINTY AND UNCERTAINTY
or length of the experience of pleasure.
DURATION
or the chance it has of being followed by sensations of the same kind
FECUNDITY
These indicators allow us to measure and pain in actions, we need to consider THREE MORE DIMENSIONS:
FECUNDITY or the chance it has of being followed by sensations of the same kind
PURITY or the chance it has of not being followed by sensations of the opposite kind.
Lastly, when considering the number of persons who are affected by pleasure or pain, another dimension is to be
considered -- EXTENT.
or how soon there will be pleasure.
PROPINQUITY, REMOTENESS
allows the evaluation of all actions and their resultant pleasure. This means that actions are
evaluated on this single scale regardless of preferences and values. In this sense, pleasure and pain can only quantitatively differ but not qualitatively differ from other
experiences of pleasure and pain accordingly.
FELICIFIC CALCULUS
when considering the number of persons who are affected by pleasure or pain, another dimension is to be considered
EXTENT
or the chance it has of not being followed by sensations of the opposite kind.
PURITY
His ethical theory and his defense of utilitarian views are found in his long essay entitled
UTILITARANISM (1861).
JOHN STUART MILL
He studied Greek at the
age of three and Latin at the age of eight. He wro-te a history of Roman
Law age eleven. He was married to Harriet Taylor after 21 years of friend-
ship.
john stuart mill
Was born on May 20, 1806 in Penton-
ville, London,
United Kingdom.
Died on May 8, 1873 in Avignon, France
from Erysipelas.
john stuART MILL
A more sophisticated form of Utilitarianism.
Concerned with quality of pleasure and quantity of people who enjoy it.
Recognized higher and lower types of human pleasure.
PRINCIPLE OF GREATEST NUMBER
JUSTICE AND MORAL RIGHTS
JOHN STUART MILL
issents from Bentham’s single scale of pleasure. He thinks that the principle of utility must distinguish pleasures QUALITATIVELY and not merely quantitatively.
MILL
For Mill, utilitarianism cannot promote the kind of pleasures appropriate to pigs or to
any other animals. He thinks that there are HIGHER INTELLECTUAL and LOWER BASE PLEASURES.
MILL
eating, drinking, sexuality, etc.
LOWER PLEASURES
intellectuality, creativity and spirituality.
HIGHER PLEASURES
