Utilitarianism Flashcards
How can you define utilitarianism?
Utilitarianism is a consequentialist thoery, which evaluates moral and politcal action in terms of consequences.
What is the principle of utilitiy?
The good is identified with the greatest number, and the aim of action is to advance the good.
What does it mean to be a consequentalist theory?
It looks at the consequences of action in order to asses them. Actions can be justified by the consequences, if it can be shown to be conducive to the general good.
Name the founders of utilitarianism?
Jeremy Bentham.
James Mill, his son John Stuart Mill, and Mill’s wife, Harriet Taylor.
Which types of utlitarianism are there?
Act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism.
What type of utilitarianist is Bentham, and what does he evalute?
Bentham was an act utilitarianist. Which meant that he evaluated which acts maximizes happiness, preferences, pleasures and minimized pain.
What type of utilitarianist was Mill, and on what question did he base his evaluation of actions?
Mill was a rule utilitarianist, and therefore asked which political/ moral rule could realize and maximize happiness, preferences, pleasures etc and minimize pain.
What was Mill’s critique to act utilitarianism?
As act utilitarianist has its focus on what acts maximizes pleasures or happiness, and minimizes pain, there is a problem raising that not all pleasures are valued the same.
Name a contemporary utilitarian theorist.
Peter Singer.
What is Singer’s position in utilitarian theory?
He is a preference utilitarian, which is a position which concerns the main theoretical focus in the consequential analyis; the variety of preference in living beings ( human or animal).
What is the focus for the preferences utilitarianism?
The main focus is not maximizing innate feelings, but rather on state of affairs, such as freedom, life and wellfare.
How does Singer incorporate rule utilitarians and act utilitarianism in his standpoint?
Singer’s theory adopts rule-utilitarianism at the level of practice, but act-utilitatianism at the level of theory.
