Utilitarianism Flashcards
1
Q
What is Bentham’s principle of utility?
A
- emphasis on pleasure
- focus on quantity
- happiness pursued as an end in its own right
- act utilitarianism
2
Q
What is J. S Mill’s greatest happiness principle?
A
- emphasis on happiness
- focus on quality
- an indirect by product of another activity
- ‘better to be a dissatisfied human than a pig satisfied’
- intellectual pleasures more valuable than physical pleasures
- should be guided by moral rules, which in last have shown to promote greatest happiness for greatest number
- rule utilitarian
3
Q
What are strengths of utilitarianism?
A
- pleasure an essential human value
- obvious link to morality - pursuit of happiness and avoidance of pain
- consequences important
- doesn’t support individual pursuit at the all expense of the majority
- promotes general happiness
- practically applicable to real life situations
4
Q
What are the weaknesses of utilitarianism?
A
- simulated pleasure is not valuable
- truth is more important
- there is a hierarchy of pleasure
- pleasure is merely sensation
- mood or pleasure?
- requires certainty of results of actions- inaccurate foresight
- difficult to measure pleasure
- pain is good for us- had a reason
- pleasure/ happiness is entirely subjective so wouldn’t create s universal moral code
