Utilitarianism

Question 1

Utilitarianism

Answer 1

an act being morally right or wrong depends solely on the consequence

Question 2

An act that brings about at least as much pleasure or wellbeing as every alternative act is

Answer 2

morally right

Question 3

Acts that do not maximize pleasure or wellbeing are

Answer 3

morally wrong

Question 4

Utilitarian ethics often

Answer 4

conflict with conventional morality and deeply rooted moral norms

Question 5

Example of utilitarian belief

Answer 5

Politician lying may be optimal if it reduces negative consequences for general public

Question 6

first utilitarianist

Answer 6

Jeremy Bentham

Question 7

Bentham didn’t define well the word

Answer 7

“tendency”

Question 8

Utilitarianists distinguish between (acts)

Answer 8

Particular acts and act types

Question 9

Act type defined

Answer 9

by set of properties shared by all particular acts that are shared in certain respects

Question 10

Utilitarianists believe that particular acts should be

Answer 10

evaluated morally, not act types

Question 11

Utilitarianists distinguish between (consequences)

Answer 11

Actual consequences, foreseeable/expected consequences

Question 12

Expected consequences are calculated by

Answer 12

multiplying the probabilities of every expected consequences by the value of the consequences

Question 13

Rule utilitarianism

Answer 13

we ought to act according to a set of rules that would lead to optimal consequences if they were accepted by an overwhelming majority of people in society

Question 14

Act utilitarianism

Answer 14

the right-making features of an act are the consequences of the particular act

Question 15

The most well know version of utilitarianism

Answer 15

classic hedonistic act utilitarianism

Question 16

classic hedonistic act utilitarianism characterized by belief that

Answer 16

“Happiness is good for its own sake” and “happiness is the net balance of pleasure over pain”

Question 17

What is the essential determiner of moral value for utilitarians?

Answer 17

Sentience (capacity for perception)

Question 18

Utilitarians believe that we must consider future generations when weighing a moral judgement (T/F)

Answer 18

T

Question 19

What is the key point over which act utilitarians disagree with rule utilitarians?

Answer 19

Act utilitarians believe it is inappropriate to divert attention, by focusing on rule-making, away from the particular acts that provide the features relevant to moral analysis

Question 20

Bentham’s hedonistic theory of the good is ___

Answer 20

additive

Question 21

Example of additive hedonistic theory

Answer 21

50 pleasure units + 20 pleasure units = 70 units

Question 22

Equality is

Answer 22

of no direct relevance in hedonistic utilitarian theory

Question 23

Alternative to hedonistic utilitarianism

Answer 23

Preference utilitarianism

Question 24

Preference utilitarianism

Answer 24

What makes something good for its own sake is that people’s preferences get satisfied

Question 25

Preference utilitarianism is a form of relativism because the scope of the theory is still universal (T/F)

Answer 25

F

Question 26

Consequentialism

Answer 26

There are many views on how exactly the moral properties of our acts correlate with their consequences

Question 27

Utilitarianism is a ___ of consequentialist moral theories

Answer 27

version of a broader class

Question 28

Consequentialist egalitarianists believe

Answer 28

an act is right iff the wellbeing produced by the act is distributed equally in society

Question 29

All consequentialists agree that

Answer 29

whether something has a moral property depends only on the consequences

Question 30

Objections

Answer 30

1. Some acts that bring about better overall benefit is nevertheless wrong
2. Utilitarianism cannot honor the moral boundary separating one person from another
3. many versions of utilitarianism are too demanding