Utilitarianism Flashcards
Who came up with Act Utlitarianism?
Jeremy Bentham.
What type of theory is it?
Teleological based on consequences.
What did he think about morality?
It should be based on the authority of nature and on the belief that moral good is pleasures and evil equals pain. Pleasure should be maximised.
What is the Hedonic calculus?
Purity - that it is not followed by pain.
Remoteness - How near or far the pleasure is.
Intensity - How deep the pleasure is.
Certainty - How sure we are it will end in pleasure.
Extent - How many people are affected.
Duration - How long lasting the pleasure is.
Fecundity - The chance it will produce more pleasure.
Quantative method, as it is tangible and measures the quality of pleasure.
What are the strengths of Bentham’s utilitarianism?
All equal in terms of pleasure. Makes sense to consider consequences. Straightforward and clear cut.
What are the weaknesses of Bentham’s utilitarianism?
Only takes into account majority. Impossible to predict consequences. Justify evil acts like torture if the majority is happy.
Who originated Rule Utilitarianism?
John Stuart Mill.
How did disagree with act utilitarianism?
It gave equal value to all pleasures, emphasised pleasure alone and the treatment of majorities.
What did he put emphasis on?
Emphasis on happiness rather than pleasure, as this is more motivated by the sympathy for others and autonomy free choice of the individual.
How did he divide the pleasures?
Into higher and lower pleasures. High pleasures of the mind like reading are better than lower pleasures of the body like football. Higher pleasures lead to human progress. Mill thought what was good for an individual wouldn’t create a good society. The principle of universability.
What did he think about human rights?
All human rights are important, as was the golden rule of Jesus: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
What are the strengths of rule utilitarianism?
Attempts to give equality. Takes into account the needs of the individual.
What are the weaknesses of rule utilitarianism?
Impossible to predict consequences. Hard to distinguish higher and lower pleasures. Progress being made by higher pleasures seems snobbish. When duties conflict, we are back to Act.
Who originated preference utilitarianism?
Peter Singer.
What is his theory based on?
The idea that a good action is one that maximises the preferences of all involved, so individual needs don’t come first.
Happiness is maximised by allowing as many people to satisfy their first preferences as possible and the interests of everyone involved must be considered, meaning emotions don’t count.
