Utilitarianism Flashcards
What is the principle of utility?
You should act to produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number
What are the 7 principles of the hedonic calculus?
- Intensity
- Duration
- Certainty
- Propinquity (How soon)
- Fecundity (likelihood of pleasure to produce more pleasure)
- Purity (will the pleasure produce pain also)
- Extent (number affected by the action)
Is Act Utilitarianism teleological or deontological?
Teleological
Define Hedonism
Good and pleasure are the same, nothing else is good
What is Rule Utilitarianism, and who was it developed by?
JS Mill
An act is good if it it in line with a set of rules which would produce the most amount of happiness if obeyed by everyone in society
What are some examples of rules that should be follower to produce pleasure (according to rule utilitarianism)?
Don't murder Don't lie Don't steal Don't rape Help others Seek justice
What 2 main issues arising from Act util. does Rule util. fix?
- Doesn’t work in emergency situations- rules such as ‘help others’ mean the person can be quick to react
- Can produce injustice (eg framing somebody to save a lot of others)- ‘Seek justice’ prevents this
Quote from JS Mill about higher and lower pleasure
“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied”
Why did Mill reject the hedonic calculus?
Quality of pleasure is more significant than quantity (higher and lower pleasures)
What are higher and lower pleasures?
A competent judge (someone who has experienced both will always choose the higher pleasures)
Higher- debate, reading etc (intellectual and social)
Lower- food, sex etc
What are weak and strong rule utilitarianism?
Strong- rules must never be broken
Weak- rules should be followed but it may be moral to break a rule in a particular, specific situation
Give 7 criticisms of Rule utilitarianism
- Higher pleasures are ELITIST- the poorly educated and those living in poverty cannot necessarily experience higher pleasures
- COMPETENT JUDGE- Somebody who has experienced higher and lower pleasures may still choose lower
- Strong rule does not account for the UNIQUE SITUATION
- Places RULES over individuals
- Cannot calculate CONSEQUENCE
- Weak rule util. collapses into ACT util.
- Strong rule util. is guilty of RULE WORSHIP
Give strengths of Rule utilitarianism
- FIXES issues that arise with Act util.
- Higher pleasures ENRICH lives
- Forces SELFLESS action
Give 7 criticisms of Act Util.
- TIME consuming- ineffective in emergency situations and impractical
- Reduce morality to a FORMULA (cold)
- Hedonic calculus could be applied DIFFERENTLY by different people
- Happiness is not the ONLY INTRINSIC GOOD (many cultures value love, justice etc)
- The ENDS should not justify the MEANS
- Hedonism won’t necessarily make people be MORAL (humans act immorally even if they know its wrong)
- Supports EVIL acts (eg Gang rape, framing somebody to save others)
Give 3 strengths of Act Util.
- Operates WITHOUT GOD (could be used by everyone)
- Hedonism is a timeless principle (UNIVERSAL consent)
- PRACTICAL ethical system for governing large groups
What concerned Mill the most about Bentham’s theory?
Tyranny of the majority
What is preference Util. and who developed it?
Peter Singer
Approach situations objectively, do what the majority would prefer
Minimise suffering rather than maximising pleasure
Everyone agrees on what is painful
‘Higher animals’ eg apes should also be considered as they equally feel pain
Theme on para- the hedonic calculus
FOR UTIL.
PRACTICAL- creates a practical and useful ethical system for governing large groups
RULE utilitarianism doesn’t rely on it- any issues can be solved with rule
ACKNOWLEDGES not only the direct effects
Applying a formula prevents SELFISHNESS
TELEOLOGICAL- asses likelihood of effects of actions just actions themselves
AGAINST UTIL. Time consuming- EMERGENCY COLD- reduces morality to formula TELEOLOGICAL- ends can't justify means, cant predict Applied DIFFERENTLY
Theme on para- hedonism
FOR UTIL. SINGER- everyone agrees on what is painful Higher pleasures ENRICH lives TIMELESS UNIVERSAL CONSENT SINGER- can be applied to ANIMALS too Not reliant on a GOD for what is good
AGAINST UTIL. Happiness is not the only INTRINSIC GOOD EVIL- eg gang rape MORAL- people go against it, selfish Higher pleasures ELITIST, unjust NATURALISTIC FALLACY
Theme on para- use of rules
FOR UTIL. Rule fixes ISSUES of injustice Creates. PRACTICAL system APPLIED the same by everyone Weak accounts for UNIQUE situation Rules enforce SELFLESSNESS
AGAINST UTIL.
Disagreement on the inclusion ANIMALS in this rule
RULE WORSHIP
Rules over INDIVIDUALS
CONFLICTING DUTY
Can still lead to TYRANNY of the majority
Strong rule doesn’t account for UNIQUE situation
Rules can’t calculate/ predict CONSEQUENCE
Essay plan- applied ethics, business
JUSTIFY EVIL AND SELFISH ACTS v SELFLESSNESS
Tyranny of the majority, more consumers than workers
Baggini- companies to CSR to appeal to customer concerns about sourcing. Also suggests GEIGB (give examples) focus on wrong issues, appeal to consumers as there are more of them
Globalisation has negative consequences
Rules can lead to conflicting duties and placing rules over people- can be damaging for some
Higher pleasures are elitist
eg Nike
Rules enforce selflessness, higher pleasures enrich lives
Maybe even takes into account animals- Singer
Works as a practical legal system- rules protect people
business decisions
Eval- Strong rule doesn’t take into account each unique situation
Cannot predict negative consequence, realistic in business
THE HEDONIC CALCULUS FAILS
Doesn’t work in emergency situations, not practical
Uses pleasure as a measure of goodness which is ineffective, the purpose of business is money not pleasure- Friedman
Mill would wrongly see them as a lower pleasure- incompatible
Unable to accurately apply formula, as you cant calculate all effects on a global scale
Cold
Acknowledges the consequences and effects of actions not just the actions themselves, and their secondary effect
Applies equally to both consumer, shareholder, worker etc
‘Then, as every smart entrepreneur knows well enough, the profits will come as a consequence’- Robert Solomon
Its flexibility is actually a strength- allows for good
Eval- commits the naturalistic fallacy, depicting pleasure as the only intrinsic good (not freedom, equality etc)
Other qualities have universal consent as being seen as good
Teleological
Introduction on util. applied ethics and business
- Ethical issues in business
- Utility and hedonism
- Act util
- Hedonic calculus
- Rule util. fixes issues of quality over quantity, tyranny of majority
- Explain rules
- Higher and lower pleasures
- Mill- quote
