Utilitarianism Flashcards
What does hedonism mean?
View that pleasure is the chief good
Teleological ethics
Moral actions are right or wrong according to their outcome or teleos (end)
What the principle of utility?
The theory of usefulness- the greatest happiness for the greatest number
What is the purpose of morality?
To guide people’s actions in such a way to produce a better world.
Producing good consequences (not just having good intentions)
what does intrinsic value mean?
the best outcome
what is the fundamental imperative?
To always act in a way which will produce the greatest overall amount of good in the world
what does UT ask us to do?
asks us to always do the most to maximise utility and not do the minimum. Asks us to set aside personal interests and to think about everyone not the individual
What does Jeremy Bentham, who proposed act UT, say/ quote about pleasure and pain?
“nature has placed man under the government of two sovereign masters, pleasure and pain. (It if for them alone o point to what we ought to do as well as what we should do)”
what did Bentham say about natural law and natural rights?
they are “nonsense upon stilts”
what did Bentham argue in favour for in the 18th century?
equal rights for women, end of slavery, right to divorce, abolishing the death penalty
Bentham wanted to provide an ethical theory for society to live by which balanced pain and pleasure, because he believed pleasure was the sole good and pain was the sole evil, what was this calculation called?
The Hedonic Calculus
what were some of the seven features of pleasure listed in the hedonic calculus?
duration certainty propinquity purity extent
what was one of the problems with the hedonic calculus?
how do we measure pleasure?
What does consequentialist mean?
Someone who decides whether an action is good or bad by its consequences
John Stuart Mill had a love of learning, what was this called?
precocious
what did Mill want to maximise instead of pleasure?
happiness
Mill believed that the quality of pleasure was more important that what?
quantity
Mill believed that pleasure of the what was more valuable that pleasure of the body?
mind
what was Mill’s famous quote?
“it is better to be socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied”
Mill believed in “competent judges” what does this mean?
those who experienced both kinds of pleasure would choose the “higher” pleasure of the mind rather than the “lower” pleasure of the body
what type of UT did Mill argue for?
Rule UT- follows rules which can not be broken
what are the strengths of Rule UT
rules are established through the application of UT principles and should never be broken
what are the weaknesses of Rule UT?
takes too much time to calculate if violating a rule is acceptable
what are the strength of Act UT?
allows the violation of rules and uses wisdom based on the accumulated knowledge of past situations
UT is a relativist system what does this mean?
?
what was happening during the 18th century which helped develop Bentham’s theory?
industrialisation and revolution
what is the “utility principle” which formulated the basis of UT, which was coined by Francis Huntcheson?
“the greatest good for the greatest number”
what was the main criticism of UT?
that it could justify horrific acts such as child abuse and torture, if these acts gave more pleasure to those inflicting the pain than the one who was suffering from the act itself
what is wrong with the distinction between higher and lower pleasure?
it is too subjective
what modern approach does Peter Singer take?
preference U = maximising the utility for the majority, this defines the outcome as “preference satisfaction”
what does R.M. Hare believe a moral action should do?
follow a set of simple and obvious moral laws, which can be broken occasionally
what does G.E.Moore argue should be valued over pleasure?
ideals which would be maximised in society and promoted through: beauty
peace
justice
truth
what does Karl Popper say we should seek to do?
reduce the amount of pain, avoidance of pain is more valuable goal than creating happiness
what does R.Goodin argue for with welfare UT?
the goal of an action should be to provide the necessary conditions to live comfortably
