Utilitarianism

Question 1

What are the 3 types of Utilitarianism?

Answer 1

Rule, Law and Preference

Question 2

Who is the key figure of Rule Utilitarianism?

Answer 2

John Stuart Mill

Question 3

Who is the key figure of Act Utilitarianism?

Answer 3

Jeremy Bentham

Question 4

Who is the key figure of Preference Utilitarianism?

Answer 4

Peter Singer

Question 5

Utilitarianism is a strictly teleological theory in that …

Answer 5

its goal is the moral good of persons

Question 6

There is no agreement amongst Utilitarians as to to precisely what …

Answer 6

good is

Question 7

Every form of Utilitarianism has two absolute requirements what are they?

Answer 7

to work to achieve the good and always follow the principle of utility to do so.

Question 8

The claim of utilitarianism is to …

Answer 8

provide a single principle to resolve the dilemmas of life, to be applied without exception

Question 9

What’s the principle of utility?

Answer 9

Greatest happiness for the greatest number

Question 10

Bentham quote on principle of utility -

Answer 10

“Create all the happiness you are able to create: remove all the misery you are able to remove. Every day will allow you to add something to the pleasure of others, or to diminish something of their pains”

Question 11

Problem with the principle of utility is …

Answer 11

Needs to be supplemented with what good actually is

Question 12

Bentham was a strict hedonist what did this mean his views were?

Answer 12

happiness - and hence the good - is pleasure. A hedonist is saying pleasure is the good and nothing else is.

Question 13

Main issue with hedonist calculus?

Answer 13

Seems impossible for there to be a bad pleasure

Question 14

Seven criteria of hedonist calculus?

Answer 14

• Intensity
• Duration
• Certainty
• Propinquity
• Fecundity
• Purity
• Extent

Question 15

Intensity?

Answer 15

How strong is the pleasure?

Question 16

Duration?

Answer 16

How long will the pleasure last?

Question 17

Certainty?

Answer 17

How likely is it the pleasure will truly happen?

Question 18

Propinquity?

Answer 18

How soon will the pleasure occur?

Question 19

Fecundity?

Answer 19

How probable is it that pleasant sensations will occur

Question 20

Purity?

Answer 20

How unlikely is it that the action will lead to pain rather than pleasure

Question 21

Extent?

Answer 21

How many people will be affected

Question 22

What’s act utilitarianism?

Answer 22

For each act we should determine which outcome leads to the greatest general good, on a case-by-case basis.

Question 23

Problem of act utilitarianism?

Answer 23

People don’t have the time or information to make necessary hedonist calculus calculation.

Question 24

What’s rule utilitarianism?

Answer 24

Argues we should always follow the rule that will lead to the greatest balance of good over evil.

Question 25

JS Mill view of principle of liberty?

Answer 25

If always followed, leads to the greatest general happiness even though some will go off the rails and damage themselves

Question 26

What’s JS Mill’s principle of liberty?

Answer 26

“The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”

Question 27

Problem with rule utilitarianism?

Answer 27

Places preservation of the rule above individual need. Is reluctant to prevent individual harm because the rule of liberty should be followed for the greatest general happiness.

Question 28

What’s preference utilitarianism?

Answer 28

We should look to to seek as the good that which we would rationally prefer as an outcome. We should do what on balance further the preferences of those affected.

Question 29

Problem with preference utilitarianism?

Answer 29

If a child has a 50% chance of haemophilia (a disease carrying the risk of death) Singer would advise the mother carrying the gene to abort as soon as scans show the child is a boy as the child can in principle be replaced. This is seen as dismissing the sacredness of life.