Utilitarianism Flashcards
telelogical
- looking to consequence to decide what’s right and wrong
consequentialism
ethical theories that see morality as driven by the consequences rather than actions
greatest happiness principle/ principle of utility
the choice that brings about the greatest good for the greatest number of people is the right choice
act utlitarian
- weighs what to do in each individual occasion
- our duty on any occasion is to act in the way which will produce overall consequences better than or equal to any other acts open to us would
- greatest happiness principle should inform our acts
rule utilitarian
weighs up what to do in principle in all occasions of a similar kind
quantitative
focused on quantity
source or type of pleasure irrelevant as long as its pleasure
- mental pleasures and pains differ from physical ones only in terms of quantity
qualatitive
focused on quality
hedonistic
pleasure driven
Hedonic calculus
- system for calculating the amount of pleasure and pain generated by an action
- devised by Bentham
- quantitative
what type of theory is utilitarianism
teleological or consequentialist
moral relativism - no absolutes in morals - an action is right or wrong based on how much pleasure or pain they produce
who is the main exponent of utilitarianism
Bentham
what has Bentham’s philosophical theory been the basis for in today’s world
many parts of government
intentions for a fairer society
why is it a hedonistic theory
Bentham argued humans are motivated by pleasure and pain
pleasure the sole good pain the sole evil
hedonistic means driven by pleasure
give two of Bentham’s most important quotes
nature has placed mankind under the government of two sovereign masters pain and pleasure they govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think
it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong
utility
the goodness or usefulness of action based on pleasure produced
how is good seen by Bentham
as the maximisation of pleasure and the minimisation of pain
what is Bentham’s type of utiliatrianims
ACT QUANTATIVE approach (hedonic calculus)
what are the aspects of the Hedonic Calculus
duration - long lasting pleasure should be sought
intensity - more intense pleasure more desirable
propinquity - sooner the better
certainty - certain pleasure better
purity - freedom from pain, less pain better
fecundity - action should go on to produce more pleasure
extent - more people that benefit the better
did Bentham think there were different types of pleasure
no
pleasure from ice cream or reading are the same but one might produce a larger quantity of pleasure
Mill thought there was
who was mill and what did he do
a peer of Bentham’s, Bentham was his god father
he agreed moral behaviour should seek to maximise happiness but he made some important development to Bentham’s approach
made the distinction between different types of pleasure
what stance did Mill take
QUALATITIVE
RULE
what did Mill make the distinction between
different types of pleasure that was absent in Bentham’s version
he recognised there are different ways of assessing the value of happiness
he felt Bentham’s theory was too open to animalistic behaviour
what was Mill’s ideas about higher and lower pleasures
- pleasures of the mind/spirit are more valuable than pleasures of the body
- pleasures gained by learning/conversations higher value than sex and eating
why did Mill believe pleasures of the mind/spirit were more valuable than physical pleasures of the body
- pleasures of the mind and spirit are only attributed and available to humans and therefore should be pursued by humans so not as to reduce ourselves to animals
what is Mill’s quote about higher and lower pleasures
it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied
- Socrates was killed better to strive for higher pleasures and not reach them
what is Mill’s criterion of competent judges
- he argued those familiar with both types of pleasure would make an educated judgement to value higher pleasures more
- if faced with a wide variety of competing pleasures and asked to conclude their greatest happiness value the higher pleasures will be preferred - criterion of competent judges
what did he says those who value lower pleasures were suffering from
an infirmity of character
why do rule utilitarianists argue it is better
because we do not have the time to calculate accurately in every instance as required by the Hedonic calculus
instead we should allow our actions to be guided by moral rules most of the time
what did Mill point out about rules
- they perform an important service by providing ample guidance for every-day moral life
- however he emphasised that the value of each particular action especially in controversial cases is to be determined by reference to the greatest happiness itself
what does rule utilitarianism teach
- we should establish rules based on the greatest happiness principle an then follow these rules
- throughout the experience of life we learn about “the kind of actions that in LT contribute to the most human happiness” - Hamilton
- therefore there is no need to decide the greatest happiness in every situation as following the rules in a general sense should lead to greatest happiness of greatest number
- individual acts can be judged as right or wrong by reference to the rules
what is strong utilitarianism
not breaking the rules once they have been established
what is weak utilitarianism
will break a rule if more pleasure is produced by doing so
utilitarianism does provide a helpful method of moral decision making
- don’t need to be religious
- straightforward
- targeted on greatest happiness - promoting well-being of many is important - basis of our healthcare system
- only natural to weight up the consequences
- suggests moral problems can be solved through reason rather than religion which isn’t universally agreed on or a conceptual esoteric approach which some might find obscure
esoteric
intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.
utilitarianism does not provide a helpful method of moral decision making
- unfair to minorities
- doesn’t help make a definitive decision just weight up options which are difficult to predict sometimes
- could be seen to allow something like gang rape - hedonic calculus can be confusing or misinterpreted
- doesn’t prohibit any actions
- guess work
- ignores the importance of duty - duty doesn’t stem from self interest and is non-consequentialist - its motive is more important than outcomes
- no motive so rejects the principle of treating people with an intrinsic value
- they are different opinions on what is good
- Oscar Wilde - do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you, they may have different tastes
we can accurately base our decisions about what’s right or wrong on the principle of utility
- weighing up interests of all is fairer than respecting old rules that could be problematic or unhelpful
- choosing between life of elderly person or child
- the save a life rule doesn’t work
we cannot accurately base our decisions about what’s right or wrong on the principle of utility
- could suggest minorities don’t have a right to be represented
- the majority may feel safer with a criminal locked up even if he isn’t guilty
it is possible to measure pleasure and use this as a basis for moral decision making
- the hedonic calculus provides this opportunity
- not everything is a future prediction because you can use your previous experiences of pleasure to guide you
it is not possible to measure pleasure and use this as a basis for moral decision making
- people’s perceptions of good are too individual and people don’t share similar interests that make them happy
- Oscar Wilde - Do not do unto others as you would have them do to you for they might have different tastes
- never going to get universal agreement
- my happiness comes at a price others have paid for
- utilitarianism relies too heavily on future predictions of how people’s interests would be affected by the choices you make
- that men are happy with their lot entails not what the lot ought to be - Alasdair MacIntyre
what are the general strengths of utilitarianism
- looks to consequence which is plausible and logical
- doesn’t require religious belief - rational ethics fits with a multi-faith world
- practical
- reasonable - who doesn’t want to be happy
- it is a common currency of moral thought that seems relatively straight forwards to apply
- the judgement weighs goods and evils and works out which option offers the best or least bad option
- there is never a situation where no option is right
- a rule of always save a life doesn’t help when choosing between two people - utilitarianism may nudge you to save the child on the basis of future life
- seems fairer than respecting old rules which may serve the interests of the few rather than the many like the slave trade
- ## important to go beyond your own personal view
what are the general weaknesses of utilitarianism
- the hedonic calculus is guesswork
- doesn’t prohibit any actions
- seems unfair to minorities
- Oscar Wilde
- Alasdair MacIntyre
what utilitarianism provides the best basis for moral decision making
WEAK RULE
- act follows hedonic calculus which can lead to problems and looks to future which doesn’t give certainty
- strong rule could be seen as too inflexible for society - weak allows the individuality of act and the guidance of rule
why cant you combine all the types of utlitarianism
- weak and strong together is contradictory
- act uses future rule uses past - how do you know which to use in a crisis
- act is quantitative but rule is qualitative
