Utilitarianism Flashcards
When is an action good?
If the consequences are favourable
When was Bentham writing?
When the majority were not represented by parliament and the poor suffered great hardship
What did Bentham want?
A system of ethics based on scientific principle rather than on the the Bible or tradition
When is an act right according to Bentham?
When it delivers more pleasure than it does pain
What is the principle of utility?
Greatest happiness for the greatest number
What are the two things that according to Bentham we should base our decisions on?
Pain and pleasure
What is utilitarianism as a result of the principle of utility?
Egalitarian
What does egalitarian mean?
Recognises that everyone is of equal value and worth, “each is to count for one”
By following the principle of utility, what can a lord not do for example?
Clear peasants off the land to extend his hunting grounds- his pleasure does not outweigh the pain caused to the peasants
What is Bentham’s system of Ethics?
Quantitive
Why is Bentham’s system of Ethics quantitive?
It concerns itself with the number of people satisfied by the action
What was Bentham’s way of measuring pain and pleasure?
The hedonic calculus
What are the seven elements of the hedonic calculus?
Intensity, Duration, Certainty, Propinquity, Extent, Purity and Fecundity
What do we consider when looking at intensity?
Is it intensely or only mildly pleasurable?
What do we consider when looking at duration?
How long will the happiness last?
What do we consider when looking at certainty?
Is it possible it might not happen?
What do we consider when looking at propinquity?
How close is it to me?
What do we consider when looking at extent?
Will it affect others close to me?
What do we consider when looking at purity?
Is it ‘tainted’ with other considerations?
What do we consider when looking at fecundity?
Might it ‘breed’ more happiness?
What is a modern application of the hedonic calculus?
NICE
What do NICE do?
Use a kind of calculus to work out which new treatments should be available on the NHS
Why must animals be included in calculations?
Because they also experience pleasure and pain
What is Bentham associated with?
Act utilitariranism
What is Act utilitarianism?
When the principle of utility is applied to each individual case. This means sometimes things are right and sometimes things are wrong depending on the circumstances and which will bring about greater happiness or cause pain
Why did Mill criticise Bentham?
He feared “tyranny of the majority”
What is tyranny of the majority?
When the majority overpower the minority, for example it could be justified that the roman practice of throwing the christians to the lions to entertain the crowds is okay, because the majority of the romans will have pleasure in it
What did Mill believe?
The minority must also be considered
What did Mill see?
That certain pleasures have more worth than others
What did Bentham say that Mill disagreed with?
“Pushpin is as good as poetry”
What would Mill see pleasures like football, pushpin or playstations as?
Base pleasures
What can base pleasures be superseded by?
Higher pleasures such as poetry or love of nature
What did Mill say?
“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied” and “better to be socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied”
What is an example of Mill’s higher pleasures?
When the speed limit on Lake Windermere was reduced to 10mph . This affected many tourists who came to water-ski, but resulted in a more tranquil environment where other tourists can enjoy the beautiful scenery
What are Bentham and Mill’s systems of utilitarianism considered to be?
Classical forms of utilitarianism
What do rule utilitarians argue?
Rules should be formed for the good of society based on the principle of utility. E.g. lying generally results in more unhappiness therefore I will make myself the rule that lying is wrong
What do strong rule utilitarians do?
Stick to their own made rules rigidly
What do weak rule utilitarians do?
They recognise that in some circumstances one would need to be flexible
Who is an example of a preference utilitarian?
Peter Singer
What do preference utilitarians recognise?
The difficulties of assessing different forms of pleasure or pain and instead argue for preference i.e they recognise a kind of trade off where all parties must be considered before a decision is reached
What does Peter Singer argue for example?
The collective distress of factory farmed chickens is more significant than the satisfaction of the farmer who has made a profit, or the consumers who have paid a little less for their egg. If we all recognise this then we are happy to pay more for free range eggs
What does Peter Singer argue preference utilitarianism will help us to do?
Flourish and feel more fulfilled
What does preference utilitarianism concern itself with?
Not with calculating happiness, as it is hard to define or compare, instead it concerns itself with what most people or animals would prefer
What does Peter Singer say many people are?
Speciesist, animals count as much as humans do in calculations
