Utilitarianism Flashcards
Why does Mill think that nature does not set a moral standard?
Because it acts in a way that would be considered deeply immoral if it were human
e.g
Nature indiscriminately kills,it starves people ect…
What is an issue with Mill’s view of nature?
it may lead to disregard of nature,
claims that humans are the important things and that nature is only instrumental t our purposes and of no moral significance in itself.
For Mill what does morally good mean?
Conducive to happiness
What is the basic claim of Utilitarianism?
We ought to do what produces the most happiness
Explain the “swine philosophy”rejection of Mill’s utilitarianism?
Assuming that pleasure is “the good life” is degrading
we need more than pleasure to make a life go well
What is qualitative utilitarianism?
There are higher pleasures
we should prefer small amounts of higher pleasures to small amounts of lower pleaures
What does Mill identify as higher pleasures?
Pleasures of the intellect
“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied;better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool dissatisfied”
What does Mill use this quote to show?
Any ammout of higher pleasure is to be preferred to any amount of lower pleaure
One reason why Utilitarianism is a plausible account?
Becasue the alterantive doesn’t seem plasuable
if you think X will increase happiness and Y will increase suffering how could you think Y was the right thing to do.
What are external sanctions?
Motivations from sources beyond oneself
e.g fear of state punishment
if utilitarianism was true we choose to implement certain social sanctions in line with utilitarian standards
What are internal sanctions?
Motivations from conscience
if utilitarianism were true we could raise people to have a utilitarian conscience
What is act utilitarianism?
in each act that you perform you should seek to maximize total welfare
The most basic form of utilitarianism
What is rule utilitarianism?
Choose actions according a set of rules such
that the consequences of everyone following them would be better than the
consequences of everyone following any other set of rules.
uses better decision process
Why doesn’t Mill like justice/rights
they are not empirical the claims of “abstract rights” can’t be substantiated
What is the demanding objection to utilitarianism
It asks to much of us
the obligations utilitarianism ascribes to us are so onerous that they render the theory implausible.
eg
according to act utilitarianism you are obliged to give away almost all of your money to charity -90%
but if a moral theory tells you your obliged to give away 90% isn’t that too much
