Utillitarianism Flashcards
Teleological
Teleological ethics focus on the consequences/result which any action might have
Deontological
In deontological ethics the rightness or wrongness of an action is vital to the act
Utilitarianism
a theory of morality that advocates actions that foster happiness or pleasure and oppose actions that cause unhappiness or harm
Hedonic calculus
A method of working out the sum total of pleasure and pain produced by an act, and thus the total value of its consequences
Act utilitarianism
This form of utilitarianism Considers considers the consequence of each individual action
Rule utilitarianism
Considers the consequences of past actions to form a rule to guide the present action
Jeremy Bentham
One of the founders of utilitarianism, he believed happiness was the supreme ethical value
John Stuart Mill
A follower of Bentham who rejected the quantitative approach to pleasure
Quantity of pleasure
The amount of pleasure that can be calculated when making a moral decision
Quality of pleasure
The standard of pleasure. In other words - not how much pleasure but how good it is
Higher pleasure (Stuart mills idea)
Pleasures of the mind
E.g. art, education and literature
Lower pleasure (Stuart mills idea)
Pleasures of the body
E.g. food, sex and sleep
Greatest happiness principle (principle of utility)
Actions that produce the most happiness are seen as the best course of action
Utility
Greatest amount of happiness
Preference utilitarianism
We should act to maximise people’s preferences (even if these preferences do not maximise pleasure and minimise pain)
7 criteria of felicific calculus
- intensity
- duration
- certainty
- propinquity
- fecundity
- purity
- extent
Intensity
The less intense the pleasure of an action - the less valuable that action is
(Vice versa)
Duration
Short lasting pleasure = less value
Long lasting pleasure from the act = highly prefered
Certainty
How likely a certain action will cause a certain action
An action which might cause pleasure is less valued then one which will definitely cause pleasure
Propinquity
How long will it take for the pleasure of the action to take effect?
The more distant the benefits in time = less valued
Fecundity
If the happiness that an act causes is likely followed by more happiness then the action is better then a similar act that will only cause one instance of happiness - likewise with pain
** Basically how many times the pain or pleasure will occur**
Purity
An act that causes only pleasure is better than one that causes the same amount of pleasure mixed with a little pain.
If the pleasure/pain is at its extremes it is more pure but when pleasure is mixed with pain the purity is less
Extent
The more people enjoy the pleasure, the better
