Utilitarianism Quotes Flashcards
Act Utilitarian
Epicurus
“Pursue the thibgs that make for happiness, seeing that when happiness if present, we have everything; but when it is absent, we do everything to possess it”
Act Utilitarianism
Bentham
“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure… to determine what we shall do”
Hedonic Calculus
Rachels
“Good actions are capable of producing a balance of pleasure over pain”
The principle of utility
Bentham
“The quantity of pleasure being equal, push-pin as good as poetry”
HC- Certainty
Driver
“all things beign euqal, we should go for the more certsin than less certain pleasure”
Pig Philosophy
Mill
“Better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied”
Harm Principle
Mill
“There only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”
Strong vs Weak Utilitarianism
Mill
“There is no case of moral obligation in which some secondary principle is not involved”
Strengths- Main aim in life
Clarke
“If the pormotion of happiness and the lessening of pain is what we value, then all human actions should have these aims and effects”
Strengths- greater social reforms in UK
Clarke
“The prinviple of Utility has probab;y provided the greatest impetus to modern day social reformsin the UK, such as the Divorce and Abortion Acts of 1969”
Strengths-straightforward
Thompson
“It is straightforward and base on clear principles”
Weaknesses- Distinctions betwwen the higher pleasures
Henry Sidgwick
“Everybody to count for one, and no one to count for more”
Weaknesses- Happiness is subjective
Bowie
“If human beings don’t have the same idea of what gives them pain or pleasure, then the premise on which utilitarianism is built on is severly weakened”
Weaknesses- Sacrifice special relationships
Rachels
“In practice, none of us is willing to treat all people as equals, for it would require that we abandon our special relationships with friends and family”
Weaknesses- No credit to intention only outcome
Sarah K Tyler and Gordon Reid
“The theory gives no credit for motiviation. Not every action done out of good will is going to result in good consequences”
RB accept- discourages selfish behaviours
Clarke
“Defenders of Utilitarianism often point to the prominent utilitarian strand in the teachings of the bible, particularly the teachings of Jesus. The heart of Jesus’ teaching was the love of god expressed through the love of neighbour”
RB accept-POU, self sacrifice
John
“For God so loves the world, that he gave hi only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”
RB not accept-minorities suffer
Joe Jenkins
“For Utilitarians love is subordinate to justice, whereas for christians, selfless love is at the heart of ethical behaviour” Agape considers every individual.
RB not accept-Not divinely inspired
Patrick J Clarke
“In the first place comes the primacy of God on which everything else depends. Thus, to invoke the Bible in support of Utilitarianism is an over simplification”
Specisism
Singer
“To discriminate against beings solely on account of their species is a form of prejudice”
Animals have rights
Singer
“All the arguments to prove mans superiority cannot shatter this hard fact: in suffering animals are our equals”
Animals have rights
Mandi Fry
“We should be joining those who seek to enhance animal protection within medicine”
Animals do not have rights
Aristotle
“Equals should be treated equally and unequals unequally”
Animals do not have rights
Claire Andre
“Principle of justice only applies to human beings”
