Utilitarianism

Question 1

Act Utilitarianism

Answer 1

Looks at the consequences of each individual act and calculates utility each time the act is performed

Question 2

Rule Utilitarianism

Answer 2

Looks at the consequences of having everyone follow a particular rule and calculates the overall utility of accepting or rejecting the rule

Question 3

Teleological ethics

Answer 3

Concerned with whether something is right or wrong depends on the result or end pf that action

Consequentialist

Question 4

Preference Utilitarianism

Answer 4

Entails promoting actions that fulfil the interests of those involved

Question 5

Principle of utility

Answer 5

The idea that the choice that brings about the greatest good for the greatest number is the right choice

Question 6

Hedonism

Answer 6

Someone who lives for the pursuit of pleasure and elieveate suffering

Question 7

Quantitative

Answer 7

The amount of happiness and pleasure and the amount of pain

Jeremy Bentham

Question 8

Qualitative

Answer 8

Focused on the quality

JS Mill

Question 9

All human beings are governed by 2 sovereign masters

Answer 9

Pain and pleasure

Question 10

Utilitarianism

Answer 10

The right thing to do and the just thing to do is to maximise the balance of pleasure over pain and happiness over suffering

Question 11

Bentham’s hedonic calculus

Answer 11

• Purity (accompanied by pain-painless)
• Richness (lone pleasure-brings many joys)
• Remoteness (distant-immediate)
• Intensity (mild-intense)
• Certainty (unlikely-probable)
• Extent (affects just one person-affects lots of people)
• Duration (brief-lasting)

Question 12

Bernard Williams

Answer 12

Utilitarianism is attractive for 4 reasons

• Does not require a religious belief, so it fits world and many cultures
• Basic good, happiness, well-being or preference is reasonable = who doesn’t want to be happy
• suggests moral problems can be solved through a reasonable process rather than a religious theory
• Offers common currency of moral thought that seems straight forward to apply

Question 13

Criticisms

Answer 13

• Relies on guesses about the future and predictions about what the greatest good in the long term would be
• Offers no reason to prohibit any action (some actions can never be justified eg child torture and rape)
• Unfairness towards minorities
• Horrendous acts
• Can you measure good or pleasure

Question 14

Bentham strengths

Answer 14

• Maximises happiness = a happier society (quantitive)
• 1 persons happiness is equal to another’s
• Based on 1 principle and aim
• Useful among different religions and cultures
• Pleasure over pain

Question 15

Bentham weaknesses

Answer 15

• Doesn’t take into account breaking rules and actions
• Ideas of pain and pleasure differ for each person
• Not all pleasure is morally good
• Doesn’t take into account emotional decisions (family)
• Not helpful for minority groups

Question 16

Mill strengths

Answer 16

• Theory is qualitative

- Pleasure over pain

Question 17

Mill weaknesses

Answer 17

• No help for minority groups

- Think we can predict the future (we don’t think about after immediate outcome)

Question 18

RM Hare

Preference utilitarianism

Answer 18

• We should treat everyone and ourselves with impartiality
• With moral decisions we need to consider our own preferences as well as others = ‘equal preferences count equally, whatever their content’
• We should be able to do what is best for us as long as it doesn’t conflict with the preferences of others

Question 19

Peter Singer

Answer 19

• Best possible consequences = best interests of individuals involved
• Not considering what increases pleasure and diminishes pain
• Equal consideration of preferences or interests act like a pair of scales = everyones preferences are weighed equally