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AS Religion And Ethics > Utilitarianism > Flashcards

Utilitarianism Flashcards

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0
Q

Define Ethics

A

A branch of philosophy concerned with morality

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1
Q

Define morality

A

Whether actions are right or wrong

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2
Q

Three main ways of doing ethics

A

Normative approach
Descriptive approach
Metaethics

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3
Q

Define normative ethics

A

Deciding how people should act and what moral rules should be made

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4
Q

Define descriptive ethics

A

A form of anthropology that compares different ethical beliefs without making value judgements

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5
Q

Define metaethics

A

Exploring the meaning of moral language

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6
Q

Give an example of a normative ethical answer

A

Is sex before marriage right?

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7
Q

Give an example of a descriptive ethical question

A

What do the Christian and Muslim traditions teach about sex before marriage?

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8
Q

Give an example of a meta ethical question

A

What do we mean when we say that sex before marriage is good

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9
Q

What are the two main parts of normative ethics

A

Teleological and Deontological

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10
Q

What is Teleological ethics concerned with?

A

The ends or consequences of actions

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10
Q

What is Deontological ethics concerned with?

A

Not the consequence rather the action

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11
Q

What is intrinsically good?

A

A built in good meaning it doesn’t need to be questioned why it is good

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12
Q

What are the disadvantages of Teleological ethics?

A

We do not know what the result will be

Do all ends justify the means?- Can we justify rape?

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13
Q

In Teleological ethics is the action always intrinsically good?

A

No it isn’t because it is good by the virtue of the result

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14
Q

Name an advantage of Deontological ethics

A

Deontologists can take strong moral positions

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15
Q

Name a disadvantage of Deontological ethics

A

They can’t take a flexible stance to take into account special circumstances or culture groups with other religious perspectives

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16
Q

What does practical ethics focus on?

A

Debates about specific dilemmas, such as abortion or euthanasia

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17
Q

Define Utilitarianism

A

Focuses about the consequences or results of your actions, not the actions itself

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18
Q

Who was Jeremy Bentham?

A

A 18th and 19th Century academic who focused on the law system of the time but who is remembered for his theory

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19
Q

Who was John Stuart Mill?

A

A 19th Century academic who adapted the theory who felt the Bentham’s theory needed to be changed

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20
Q

What are the three components of Bentham’s theory of Utilitarianism?

A

His views on goodness, badness and what drove humans
The principle of utility
Hedonic Calculus

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21
Q

What was Mill’s main criticism?

A

He felt it should be qualitative rather than quantitative

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22
Q

How did Mill fix his criticism?

A

Added the concept of higher and lower pleasures

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23
Q

What was Bentham’s view on goodness, badness and what drives humans

A

Believed that human beings were driven by pleasure and pain and that humans would seek pleasure and avoid pain

24
Q

What are the seven parts of the hedonic calculus?

A 
Intensity
Duration
Certainty
Propinquity
Fecundity
Purity
Extent
25
Q

What do the first four factors of the hedonic calculus focus on?

A

Pleasure and pain caused by the action

26
Q

What is act utilitarianism?

A

The rightness or wrongness of an act is calculated by the amount of happiness resulting from each individual act

27
Q

What determines what is is right in act utilitarianism?

A

Those that have the best consequences

28
Q

What is the only thing that matters in Act Utilitarianism?

A

The amount of happiness or unhappiness caused

29
Q

What are the criticisms of Act Utilitarianism?

A

Has the potential to justify almost any act, as long as it guarantees happiness
Impractical to suggest we should measure each and every moral choice if doesn’t fulfil hedonic calculus
Doesn’t consider special responsibility (e.g cancer specialist vs father)

30
Q

What is rule utilitarianism?

A

The action line stealing can be seen as acceptable if it has positive consequences

31
Q

What is a criticism of Act Utilitarianism?

A

Could be bad for certain minority groups if rule is not in their favour

32
Q

Give three reasons why the end of pain and suffering is more important than the increase of pleasure

A

The outcome could be more pleasurable for this person
The increase of pleasure could be achieved by causing more pain
Duration of pleasure could be for a moment while suffering can be long term

33
Q

Give three reasons why the increase of pleasure is more important than the end of pain and suffering

A

We need an element of suffering to appreciate pleasure
Sometimes achieve pleasure some have to suffer e.g war
If the pleasure is great for many

34
Q

Who influenced preference utilitarianism?

A

Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill

35
Q

What does Preference Utilitarianism disagree with Bentham and Mill over?

A

Says people have preferences over pleasure over pain

36
Q

What does Preference Utilitarianism put an emphasis on?

A

People’s preference over happiness

37
Q

Why does Preference Utilitarianism attract secular society?

A

No religion is needed

38
Q

Who created Preference Utilitarianism?

A

Peter Singer

39
Q

What is Preference Utilitarianism’s weaknesses?

A

Consequences are multiple
People disagree over which is the best consequence
Difficult to calculate

42
Q

What is the positives of preference utilitarianism?

A

Sensitive to consequences so there should not be any disasters

43
Q

Define Act Utilitarianism

A

Every act is judged on its consequences

44
Q

Define Rule Utilitarianism

A

Actions are judged right and wrong by reference to rules made by e.g. society

45
Q

Define Preference Utilitarianism

A

Referred to by Singer, we should take people’s preferences into account if we know or can guess what they are

46
Q

What are the benefits of utilitarianism?

A

They consider the wide use of this theory in dealing with many issues that arise in daily life; e.g. government spending plan

47
Q

What are the criticisms of Utilitarianism?

A

Calculating consequences
Problem of special responsibilities
Problem of justice

48
Q

What is Utilitarianism’s view on the Ten Commandments?

A

It is against divine moral codes and so disagrees with the Ten Commandments

49
Q

Why is Jesus’s execution compatible with the Utilitarianism?

A

Because he died to save all sin, a prime example of ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’

50
Q

Is Utilitarianism deontological or teleological?

A

Deontological

51
Q

Define Environmental Ethics

A

The moral rights and wrongs to do with the environment.

52
Q

What does something have to be for Bentham to consider in his moral calculations?

A

All sentient beings, as long as they feel pain

53
Q

Why is Bentham’s Hedonic Calculus useful for application to Environmental Ethics?

A

Because it is important for a balanced decision, for example, in the case of a dam balancing the needs of the humans and the animals

54
Q

What do Bentham and Mill agree over environmental ethics?

A

That all those affected should be treated equally

55
Q

What is the implication of the principle of equality in utilitarianism in regards to the environment?

A

That any issue in the long term should take into account the needs of the people of the future since it will affect them more

56
Q

What do Bentham and Mill disagree over in regards to environmental ethics?

A

According to Mill not all sentient beings should be considered

57
Q

What is the title of the essay Mill wrote on the environment?

A

Nature Mill

58
Q

What does Mill say nature has?

A

Nature has powers which are “often towards man in the position in the form of enemies”

59
Q

What does Mill say man must do in regards to nature?

A

He “must wrest, by force or ingenuity, what he can for his own use”

60
Q

What does Mill say about man’s role in regards to nature?

A

He says we have a duty to consider what implications our actions may have upon the environment because man has a superior intelligence

61
Q

What does Singer argue about Mill’s views on the environment?

A

That Mill is saying that man cannot ignore the interests of sentient animals because they can experience pain.

62
Q

What implications does Singer’s argument about Mill have on the environment?

A

We must be careful with natural resources, for example, by maintaining biodiversity in rainforests

AS Religion And Ethics (4 decks)

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