Utilitarianism- Bentham Flashcards
what is the principle of utility?
principle of utility is the idea that actions are right insofar as they promote the greatest number of happiness for the greatest number of people
what are right actions according to Bentham?
actions that increase the aggregate amount of pleasure. any action which reduced the aggregate amount of pleasure would be wrong
what is the role of pleasure and pain in benthams act utilitarianism?
pleasure and pain are the ultimate criteria for determining a moral action. Actions that produce pleasure are morally good whereas actions that reduce pleasure are morally bad
“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure”
what is hedonic calculus?
a method of quantifiably calculating the amount of pleasure or pain a moral action is likely to produce
what are the seven factors of hedonic calculus?
intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity and extent
why might the hedonic calculus be criticised?
- it is difficult to assign numerical values to pleasure and pain
- it is difficult to predict the future:
- it does not take into account individual rights, rather it focuses on the overall happiness produced by an action- tyranny of the majority
- may be too demanding
- does not consider the source of pleasure or pain
strength: what is meant by the term egalitarian?
the happiness of a person is worth no more or less than the happiness of another. in weighing of pleasure or pain, everyones pleasure or pain is quantifiably the same. this is a strength of utilitarianism as it removes concepts of culturalism, religion and subjective preference when maximising the aggregate pleasure.
strength: why is act utilitarianism impartial?
because it holds that the moral value of an action is determined by its overall consequences, rather than by the interests of any particular individual or group
strength: what is meant by ‘all types of activities are commensurable’ in utilitarianism
all moral actions are measurable by the same standard. that is, they can be compared with each other in terms of pleasure. Even though X may prefer walking travelling and painting, Y may prefer drinking, partying and sleeping these activities are not as different as they seem since they all lead to the attaining of pleasure. No judgement, therefore, is made on the quality or nature of the pleasure or the activities that bring about the pleasure.
How does Bentham consider egoism?
even though utilitarianism is altruistic, bentham does recognise the natural egoism of man. Bentham believed in ethical egoism, which is the idea that individyuals should always act in their own self-interest. According to bentham,
Mill’s objection to the commensurability of act utilitarianism
mill felt that there was something wrong in seeing sensual pleasures (appetite) as the same as higher intellectual pleasures. As a result, he argued there was a qualitative distinction between pleasures. he believed that the pleasures of the ‘mind and spirit’ (Aristotle’s rational soul) were higher than those of the body (Aristotle’s appetitive state). so philosophy, poetry, and painting were better than drinking, partying and sleeping. he categorised these as higher and lower-order pleasures.
who is in the position to decide higher or lower-order pleasures?
competent judges: These are people who have been exposed to a wide range of different types of pleasures, both the sensual and the intellectual. If they should rate intellectual pleasures higher than the sensual ones, then we should follow their advice.
