Utilitarianism Flashcards
What is Singer’s duties to aid?
The fact that an action makes someone better off can be a powerful reason to perform it, and can make it wrong not to perform it.
If you can prevent something bad from happening without sacrificing ___ ___ ___ ___, then it’s wrong not to do it.
Anything of equal importance.
Singer’s theory tries to…
Reduce all of morality to the kinds of considerations active in the drowning child case.
Utilitarianism
An act is right if, of the acts open to you, it brings about the most happiness, and wrong otherwise.
Bentham found English law ___.
Arbitrary.
According to utilitarianism, an action is right if…
- If it maximizes pleasure and minimizes pain.
- If it maximizes utility.
- If it brings about the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
According to utilitarianism, what is pleasure and pain?
Pleasure is intrinsically good, while pain is intrinsically bad.
Something is instrumentally good for you if it’s good for you what else it can bring about. Give an example of this principle.
Coffee.
Hedonism
Pleasure is the only thing that’s intrinsically good, and pain is the only thing that’s intrinsically bad.
3 Theses of Utilitarianism:
- Universalist Consequentialism.
- Hedonism: a being is well off to the extent to which she’s happy and free from pain.
- Sum-ranking: an outcome’s overall goodness or badness is determined by adding up how well off each being will be if it obtains (it doesn’t matter how the welfare is distributed).
2 objectives to utilitarianism:
- Motive Objection.
What is the Motive Objection?
Consequentialists care only about consequences and neglect motives.
What is the Epistemic Objection?
Consequentialism sets up an impossible standard. It is impossible to know for sure which act will be most beneficial.
