Utilitarianism- Mill Flashcards
mills rule utilitarianism
differs from act as it allows us to observe rules that facilitate happiness
we need to follow general rules or principles, that when consistently applied, lead to greater overall happiness
∙ The only thing which we can desire is pleasure.
∙ The proof of this is the fact that people actually desire it.
∙ Pleasure or happiness of his or her own person is good to that person. And general happiness is good for everyone.
∙ Men desire other objects, but they desire them only as means of pleasure.
∙ If one of two pleasures is preferred by those who are related with both pleasures [the competent judges), we say the preferred pleasure is superior in quality to the other.
mills rejection of the commensurability of act utilitarianism
Mills qualitative rule utilitarianism: Mill rejected the ‘commensuability’ of act utilitarianism: He felt there was something wrong in seeing sensual pleasure as equally valid as the higher intellectual pleasures. He claimed act utilitarianism was a ‘doctrine worthy only of swine’ he combatted this by providing a qualitative distinction between pleasures. Higher and lower order pleasures. Pleasures of the ‘mind and spirit’ like poetry, reading and philosophy were more valuable than pleasures of the body like sex, food and drugs
qualitative distinction of pleasures- advantages
higher order pleasures are typically superior at producing a greater quanitiy of pleasure. lower pleasures are transient, fleeting and last only as long as the actions that produce them- they have no lasting impact
higher order pleasures have no such ill effects like the lower order pleasures have
does he move away from hedonism?
classical hedonism only focuses on pleasure as a quantitative measure, but the higher lower-order distinction gives greater importance to the quality, not the quantity of pleasure.
it seems that mill is valuing the pleasures for their intellectual pursuit, not the pleasure itself?
strength- the emphasis on rules solved problems of act utilitarianism (happy torturers)
mill advocated for rules to be put in place, and to follow them, regarless of circumstance. if these general rules and principles are applied consistently, we will have the maximisation of pleasure without tyranny of the majority.
justice is of equal importance to utility, he strikes a balance between maximising pleasure and protecting individual rights, which act utilitarianism fails to do
problems with mills emphasis on rules
mill’s utilitarianism becomes absolutist because of its emphasis in applying general rules without evaluating individual actions on their own merits. mill’s reliance on a single principle to determine the morality of actions lacks the flexibility to adapt to situational nuances
soft vs hard rule
hard- adheres strictly to a set of rules that must never be violated
soft- allows for more flexibility in the application of rules
does soft rule utilitarianism solve the inflexebility of rule utilitarianism?
yes- in soft rule utilitarianism, there is an acknowledgment of exceptional circumstances and situational nuances that would morally permit someone from violating the rule, the rule is considered an INSTRUMENTAL GOOD, NOT AN INTRINSIC GOOD (if it is used well it is good, it is not good in itself)
so it is sensible to follow rules insofar that it does not compromise anything
no- this essentially collapses into act utiliarianism, we are judging the merits of the individual action, not the principle or the general rules!!!
mills argument for utilitarianism
The only thing which we desire is pleasure. Everything else we desire is for the means of pleasure. The proof is the fact that people actually desire it; Mill endorses psychological egoism (all behaviours are motivated by self interest) in his so-called “proof” of the principle of utility
but could psychological egoism be our guide for moral decision-making? hume says no
Hume argues that we cannot derive an ought from an is: statements about what we ought to do (principle of utility) cannot be justified by appealing to facts about the natural world (we seek pleasure). This is because facts are descriptive, whereas what we ought to do are evaluative.
we were creating a fact value gap
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