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Ethics > Utilitarianism > Flashcards

Utilitarianism Flashcards

1
Q

Was Bentham rule or act?

A

Act

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2
Q

Was Mill rule or act?

A

Rule

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3
Q

What did Bentham create to quantify pleasure?

A

The Hedonic calculus

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4
Q

What are the key principles now the hedonic calculus?

A 
Purity
Extent
Certainty
Fecundity
Duration
Intensity
Remoteness
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5
Q

What is Bentham’s quote?

A

We are governed by two sovereign masters: pleasure and pain.

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6
Q

What is the greatest happiness principle?

A

All actions should aim to create the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people

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7
Q

What is Mill’s quote?

A

It is better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied. Better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.

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8
Q

Is Bentham’s utilitarianism absolute or relative?

A

Relative

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9
Q

Is Mill’s utilitarianism absolute or relative?

A

Absolute

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10
Q

Who came up with utilitarianism?

A

Jeremy Bentham

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11
Q

What are the key principles of Bentham’s utilitarianism?

A

An action is morally good if it leads to a consequence of maximum happiness
The values of happiness is the only thing that matters
No one persons happiness is more important than another’s

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12
Q

What did mill change about utilitarianism?

A

He said there are higher and lower pleasures
Bentham was wrong to assume all pleasures are equal
“Pushpin is not equal to poetry”

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13
Q

What is the sadist problem?

A

It’s dangerous to treat all pleasures the same because according to Bentham a group of sadists total pleasure would outweigh the pain caused to one person, making the action moral

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14
Q

What are examples of the two types of pleasure?

A

Higher
Reading, maths, poetry

Lower
Violence, sex, food

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15
Q

What is universal happiness?

A

Mill believed that every action people made was about increasing the happiness of others
He was influenced by the golden rule of Christianity

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16
Q

What is the harm principle?

A

We should be free to choose our actions as long as it doesn’t cause harm to others
This means mill is against sadism

17
Q

What makes rule utilitarianism different to act?

A

Mill thinks the hedonic calculus was too time consuming and argued that there are general rules (secondary principles) that we have established over time that increase happiness
Eg do not murder

18
Q

Strengths of utilitarianism?

A 
Leads to greater happiness
Egalitarian -everyone is equal
Each situation considered individually
It’s democratic
Concentrated on the effects
The harm principle
No moral absolutes
Reflects thoughts of contemporary society
Greatest happiness principle
19
Q

Weaknesses of utilitarianism?

A

Sadist problem -not always safe
Hedonic calculus is time consuming
Too simplistic -pain and pleasure are subjective
Looks at maximum happiness not the distribution of happiness
Rule is not relative
What about justice?
Not for religious people
Gives no credit to motive
Leaves out the minority
Robert Nozick’s experience machine proves people value things other than pleasure

20
Q

What are the types of euthanasia?

A

Passive
Active
Voluntary
Non voluntary

21
Q

What is the uk law about euthanasia?

A

The murder act of 1965 says intentional killing is illegal

Suicide act of 1971 says assisted suicide is illegal

22
Q

Euthanasia case studies?

A

Tiny bland
Hillsborough disaster, persistent vegetative state, artificial nutrition and hydration were withdrawn, passive

Miss B
Paralysed from neck down, ventilator turned off, voluntary

Dax Cowart
Badly burnt in gas explosion in car, 10 years of treatment, blind can’t use his hands but is healthy, still thinks he should have been euthanised

23
Q

Arguments for legalising euthanasia

A 
Ends suffering
Have a right to choose
Prevent suicide
Successfully in other countries 
Safer
Stops family getting in trouble
Financially sensible
Quality of life
Put animals down
24
Q

Arguments against legalising euthanasia

A 
Sanctity of life
Could change their mind
Could be abused
Slippery slope
Law is ambiguous, better to be clear cut
Goes against Hippocratic oath
25
Q

What would act and rule say about euthanasia?

A

Act
Use hedonic calculus- euthanise

Rule
Follow general rules, do not murder- don’t euthanise

26
Q

What is instrumental value?

A

When something has value because we give it value

27
Q

What is intrinsic value?

A

When something has value in its own right

28
Q

What is an anthropocentric view?

A

Looking at things from a human perspective

29
Q

What does Bentham think about animal testing?

A

He considered animal rights
“The important question is not ‘can they reason?’ Not ‘can they talk?’ But ‘can they suffer?’
But humans are still more important

30
Q

What does Peter singer (preference utilitarian) think of animal testing?

A

He believed animals were sentient so have the capacity to experience pain and pleasure
The more sentient it is the more its preferences count
So testing involving suffering is wrong

31
Q

What does mill think of animal testing?

A

Didn’t really consider the rights of animals, if animal testing through past experience had led to greater happiness then the general rule will be it’s ok

32
Q

Arguments for animal testing?

A

Saves humans
Animals are killed for food, this is more worth while
Legislation protects animals from cruelty
Humans have greater intrinsic value

33
Q

Arguments against animal testing?

A

Animals may respond differently to humans
Human tissue samples, test tube studies, statistics and computer models are just as good
Animals have a right to life
Animals endure stress in labs which can affect results

34
Q

Arguments for using nuclear weapons as a deterrent?

A

Shows the cost of attacking us is greater than any benefits
Political power is maintained as only the PM can launch them
Committed to maintaining the minimum amount needed

35
Q

Arguments against using nuclear weapons as a deterrent?

A

Each missile is 8 times the power of Hiroshima in 1945 which killed 240,000
No purpose as illegal to launch
Genocidal and immoral
Can’t address cyber warfare and climate change and terrorism

36
Q

What is Jim and the Indians about?

A

Bernard Williams critiqued utilitarianism saying morality is more than cold hearted calculation.
Jim should kill one to save 19 but that doesn’t take into account Jim’s happiness or conscience or core beliefs about not killing the innocent

37
Q

What would Bentham say to nuclear deterrence?

A

If they go off then the extent, intensity and duration of the pain would be enormous
It’s better and purer to get rid of them

38
Q

What would mill say to nuclear deterrence?

A

Recognised the harm principle and using past experience could make a rule to not use nuclear weapons
So get rid of them

Ethics (6 decks)

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