Utilitarianism - AO2 Flashcards
What are some strengths of Utilitarianism that can be applied to the modern day?
- Relates human psychology and experiences to a method of drawing out the right thing to do
- A method for the democratic age, “greatest good for the greatest number”
- Shows us why people should be morally good - in ones best self interest
What is the primary issue with Utilitarianism being a Teleological Theory?
- How can we calculate outcomes, we may not have sufficient time or information.
- You need sufficient intellectual capability, children may not have this - are they then incapable of being moral?
- Hard to determine whether an action is good, save a kid from drowning but the kid grows up to be a mass murderer
Why might some people question whether Utilitarianism is a genuine moral theory at all?
It permits evil provided it does not outweigh the good but a moral theory entails doing good - no acceptance of evil.
Does morality just entail doing the right thing?
It can be argued that it also involves judging actions of others, educating the young. It may be easier to tell a child a rule than “work out the greatest balance of good over evil” - judgements differ from person to person
Why does the “morality has multiple aspects” objection not apply to Peter Singer?
Singer recognises we need to be altruistic, so this objection is more suited towards Bentham
Who might disagree with the rejection of Natural Rights in Utilitarianism?
Kantianism condemn sacrifice of a person for an abstraction. 2nd Categorical Imperative ‘So act as to treat everyone, yourself or another, always as ends, not means only’
What was Sir Bernard William’s objection?
If everyone was a utilitarian they would take preventative action and do evil therefore the overall picture would look a lot worse with lots of evil
Quote Sir Bernard William
“If utilitarianism is true… then it is better that people should not believe Utilitarianism”
Why can Utilitarianism be described as a ‘rational kind of ethics’
It requires no sort of religious belief and can therefore be applied to everyone, moral problems are solved through a rational process, not religious where there are disagreements. It is Secular
Why can Utilitarianism be regarded as ‘fair’
It weighs up all interests and keeps up with modern society.
How did Mill answer to criticism of sadistic pleasure in Benthams original theory
The quality of the pleasure is what is important, he improved upon the theory
How did Sidgwick answer Kants criticism?
He said the intention to bring about the greater good is an important one, an improvement on the theory.
Is it fair to say that Utilitarianism is a good theory as it is constantly being improved?
It is true that the theory has been developed, Singers Utilitarianism is better than Benthams, but it’s unpredictable to know what is going to happen in the future so it is flawed to base ethics on what may or may not come about.
What is Sir Bernard Williams objection?
If everyone was a utilitarian they would take preventative action to avoid a greater evil, this would in turn create an overall worse picture with lots of evil occurrences.
Quote Sir Bernard William
“If utilitarianism is true then it is better that people should not believe in utilitarianism”
