Utilitarianism AO2 and Essay Plans

Question 1

4 weaknesses of Benthams act utilitarianism

Answer 1

• the focus on pleasure is too narrow/difficult to define.
• it could lead to appalling consequences; no protection of minorities
• the hedonic calculus can be too complex if it has to be applied to each situation

Question 2

4 weaknesses of rule utilitarianism

Answer 2

• relative higher/lower pleasures- need base to like higher/ elitist.
• deontological- rules taking priority undermines human nature.
• strict rule utilitarians=irrational,rule modifiers=act utilitarians
• still no defence for minorities
• Consistency- Rule utilitarianism must either become a deontological theory or become act utilitarianism when used to its logical extremes, in certain situations you must either give up the idea of the greatest good, or break laws you created and slip into act utilitarianism, in both instances defeating the point of rule utilitarianism

Question 3

6 strengths of utilitarianism

Answer 3

• straightforward and based on a single clear principle
• common desire and sense to benefit majority of people;democratic
• fair as common principles are widely accepted, yet flexible and progressive with time.
• doesnt need the acceptance of any beliefs regarding the nature of the world/religion; secular.
• reasonable claim that we seek to avoid pain and seek pleasure.
• consequentalist nature is a strength because we are always bound up to weigh the consequences.

Question 4

6 weaknesses of utilitarianism

Answer 4

• Bernard Williams: utilitarian can violate our most central and deeply held principles, e.g giving up religion for majority, and it rejects the intrinsic value within a person, only taking in the consequence of an action not a person’s commitments.
• guaranteeds people receive pleasure but guarantees nothing for minorities.
• WD Ross: utilitarianism should be rejected because it is counterintuitive we have some time of duty, and just because 2 actions have the same outcomes does not mean they are morally right.
• it is dependent on predicting the results of an action but can never know these certainly.

Question 5

The principle of utility

Strengths

Answer 5

• the principle of utility provides a clear and concise guideline regarding approach to a moral decision
• not always easy to apply, but it it always relevant and specific to a specific situation, which course of action is like to bring about the greatest pleasure, deontological theories are not useful in situations where both actions result in someone else’s death
• offers a method of thinking which is more with the way that humans naturally think,easier to implement than theories that appeals to more abstract concepts.
• the hedonic calculus clearly breaks down the different aspects to pain or pleasure to be experienced, allowing one to make a reliable and informed decision

Question 6

The principle of utility

Weaknesses

Answer 6

• by simply looking to maximise pleasure you do not treat humans as anything more than a base animal.
• there are two qualifiers ‘good’ and ‘number’, which one should be favoured in situations where a greater amount of good may be done to the minority, or a lesser amount of good to be done to the majority.

Question 7

Principle of pleasure

Strengths

Answer 7

• cited as the goal for life, as such it is reasonable to have a theory based around maximising this, hopefully leading people to live happier and therefore more fulfilled lives .
• As a theory it seeks to maximise pleasure, and this is something that all humans naturally seek.
• the concept of pleasure applied to whole societies, in this case pleasure of all people is the most important concern, therefore decisions are made from the basis they are likely to produce happiness and fulfilment

Question 8

Principle of pleasure

Weaknesses

Answer 8

• Basing a theory on maximising pleasure as it means that we are pushed towards hedonism and becoming transient beings moving from one temporary pleasure to the next, leading to an unfulfilled life.
• pleasure and pain are hard concepts to define and even harder to quantify and evaluate, especially when several different groups with conflicting interests are concerned,
• assumes that most peoples pleasures or preferences converge , which is not necessarily true other than in the broadest sense.
• the concept covers both high and lower pleasures, many of which require the ability to reason and remember. Utilitarians may be required by the theory to include rational animals, such as dolphins and apes as having a worth whereas a mentally deficient person may by this logic have no worth as they are deemed unable to experience pleasure.
• It is human nature to avoid pain and seek pleasure, however just because it is natural to do this, doesn’t mean we should do this; perhaps humans should seek to do what is right regardless of what will make us happier. As such the entire theory is a “naturalistic fallacy’ (hume is ought)

Question 9

It is realistic and applicable

Answer 9

• Understands that most people act to bring pleasure to themselves or someone else, as such it is really understandable and easily applicable.
• utlitarianism addresses this and doesn’t expect people to think things that go against their tuition.
• The theory is relativistic, and doesn’t have any set rules which allows it to be far more flexible than deontological theories.

Question 10

It is not realistic and applicable

Answer 10

• telelogical so it is problematic as it expects an unrealistic amount of foresight to be able to predict the outcome with enough accuracy to choose the one that best maximises pleasure.
• As it is relativistic there are no set rules, and as such could permit heinous acts like rape and genocide to work for the benefit of the majority
• It also denies the existence of human rights, as these should never be violated under any circumstances.
• the theory strips away concepts like duty and honesty, necessary for the correct functioning of a society.