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Philosophy And Ethics > Utilitarianism > Flashcards

Utilitarianism Flashcards

1
Q

telelogical

A
  • looking to consequence to decide what’s right and wrong
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2
Q

consequentialism

A

ethical theories that see morality as driven by the consequences rather than actions

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3
Q

greatest happiness principle/ principle of utility

A

the choice that brings about the greatest good for the greatest number of people is the right choice

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4
Q

act utlitarian

A
  • weighs what to do in each individual occasion
  • our duty on any occasion is to act in the way which will produce overall consequences better than or equal to any other acts open to us would
  • greatest happiness principle should inform our acts
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5
Q

rule utilitarian

A

weighs up what to do in principle in all occasions of a similar kind

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6
Q

quantitative

A

focused on quantity
source or type of pleasure irrelevant as long as its pleasure
- mental pleasures and pains differ from physical ones only in terms of quantity

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7
Q

qualatitive

A

focused on quality

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8
Q

hedonistic

A

pleasure driven

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9
Q

Hedonic calculus

A
  • system for calculating the amount of pleasure and pain generated by an action
  • devised by Bentham
  • quantitative
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10
Q

what type of theory is utilitarianism

A

teleological or consequentialist

moral relativism - no absolutes in morals - an action is right or wrong based on how much pleasure or pain they produce

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11
Q

who is the main exponent of utilitarianism

A

Bentham

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12
Q

what has Bentham’s philosophical theory been the basis for in today’s world

A

many parts of government

intentions for a fairer society

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13
Q

why is it a hedonistic theory

A

Bentham argued humans are motivated by pleasure and pain
pleasure the sole good pain the sole evil
hedonistic means driven by pleasure

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14
Q

give two of Bentham’s most important quotes

A

nature has placed mankind under the government of two sovereign masters pain and pleasure they govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think

it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong

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15
Q

utility

A

the goodness or usefulness of action based on pleasure produced

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16
Q

how is good seen by Bentham

A

as the maximisation of pleasure and the minimisation of pain

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17
Q

what is Bentham’s type of utiliatrianims

A 
ACT
QUANTATIVE approach (hedonic calculus)
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18
Q

what are the aspects of the Hedonic Calculus

A

duration - long lasting pleasure should be sought
intensity - more intense pleasure more desirable
propinquity - sooner the better
certainty - certain pleasure better
purity - freedom from pain, less pain better
fecundity - action should go on to produce more pleasure
extent - more people that benefit the better

19
Q

did Bentham think there were different types of pleasure

A

no
pleasure from ice cream or reading are the same but one might produce a larger quantity of pleasure

Mill thought there was

20
Q

who was mill and what did he do

A

a peer of Bentham’s, Bentham was his god father
he agreed moral behaviour should seek to maximise happiness but he made some important development to Bentham’s approach
made the distinction between different types of pleasure

21
Q

what stance did Mill take

A

QUALATITIVE

RULE

22
Q

what did Mill make the distinction between

A

different types of pleasure that was absent in Bentham’s version
he recognised there are different ways of assessing the value of happiness
he felt Bentham’s theory was too open to animalistic behaviour

23
Q

what was Mill’s ideas about higher and lower pleasures

A
  • pleasures of the mind/spirit are more valuable than pleasures of the body
  • pleasures gained by learning/conversations higher value than sex and eating
24
Q

why did Mill believe pleasures of the mind/spirit were more valuable than physical pleasures of the body

A
  • pleasures of the mind and spirit are only attributed and available to humans and therefore should be pursued by humans so not as to reduce ourselves to animals
25
Q

what is Mill’s quote about higher and lower pleasures

A

it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied

  • Socrates was killed better to strive for higher pleasures and not reach them
26
Q

what is Mill’s criterion of competent judges

A
  • he argued those familiar with both types of pleasure would make an educated judgement to value higher pleasures more
  • if faced with a wide variety of competing pleasures and asked to conclude their greatest happiness value the higher pleasures will be preferred - criterion of competent judges
27
Q

what did he says those who value lower pleasures were suffering from

A

an infirmity of character

28
Q

why do rule utilitarianists argue it is better

A

because we do not have the time to calculate accurately in every instance as required by the Hedonic calculus

instead we should allow our actions to be guided by moral rules most of the time

29
Q

what did Mill point out about rules

A
  • they perform an important service by providing ample guidance for every-day moral life
  • however he emphasised that the value of each particular action especially in controversial cases is to be determined by reference to the greatest happiness itself
30
Q

what does rule utilitarianism teach

A
  • we should establish rules based on the greatest happiness principle an then follow these rules
  • throughout the experience of life we learn about “the kind of actions that in LT contribute to the most human happiness” - Hamilton
  • therefore there is no need to decide the greatest happiness in every situation as following the rules in a general sense should lead to greatest happiness of greatest number
  • individual acts can be judged as right or wrong by reference to the rules
31
Q

what is strong utilitarianism

A

not breaking the rules once they have been established

32
Q

what is weak utilitarianism

A

will break a rule if more pleasure is produced by doing so

33
Q

utilitarianism does provide a helpful method of moral decision making

A
  • don’t need to be religious
  • straightforward
  • targeted on greatest happiness - promoting well-being of many is important - basis of our healthcare system
  • only natural to weight up the consequences
  • suggests moral problems can be solved through reason rather than religion which isn’t universally agreed on or a conceptual esoteric approach which some might find obscure
34
Q

esoteric

A

intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.

35
Q

utilitarianism does not provide a helpful method of moral decision making

A
  • unfair to minorities
  • doesn’t help make a definitive decision just weight up options which are difficult to predict sometimes
  • could be seen to allow something like gang rape - hedonic calculus can be confusing or misinterpreted
  • doesn’t prohibit any actions
  • guess work
  • ignores the importance of duty - duty doesn’t stem from self interest and is non-consequentialist - its motive is more important than outcomes
  • no motive so rejects the principle of treating people with an intrinsic value
  • they are different opinions on what is good
  • Oscar Wilde - do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you, they may have different tastes
36
Q

we can accurately base our decisions about what’s right or wrong on the principle of utility

A
  • weighing up interests of all is fairer than respecting old rules that could be problematic or unhelpful
  • choosing between life of elderly person or child
  • the save a life rule doesn’t work
37
Q

we cannot accurately base our decisions about what’s right or wrong on the principle of utility

A
  • could suggest minorities don’t have a right to be represented
  • the majority may feel safer with a criminal locked up even if he isn’t guilty
38
Q

it is possible to measure pleasure and use this as a basis for moral decision making

A
  • the hedonic calculus provides this opportunity

- not everything is a future prediction because you can use your previous experiences of pleasure to guide you

39
Q

it is not possible to measure pleasure and use this as a basis for moral decision making

A
  • people’s perceptions of good are too individual and people don’t share similar interests that make them happy
  • Oscar Wilde - Do not do unto others as you would have them do to you for they might have different tastes
  • never going to get universal agreement
  • my happiness comes at a price others have paid for
  • utilitarianism relies too heavily on future predictions of how people’s interests would be affected by the choices you make
  • that men are happy with their lot entails not what the lot ought to be - Alasdair MacIntyre
40
Q

what are the general strengths of utilitarianism

A
  • looks to consequence which is plausible and logical
  • doesn’t require religious belief - rational ethics fits with a multi-faith world
  • practical
  • reasonable - who doesn’t want to be happy
  • it is a common currency of moral thought that seems relatively straight forwards to apply
  • the judgement weighs goods and evils and works out which option offers the best or least bad option
  • there is never a situation where no option is right
  • a rule of always save a life doesn’t help when choosing between two people - utilitarianism may nudge you to save the child on the basis of future life
  • seems fairer than respecting old rules which may serve the interests of the few rather than the many like the slave trade
  • ## important to go beyond your own personal view
41
Q

what are the general weaknesses of utilitarianism

A
  • the hedonic calculus is guesswork
  • doesn’t prohibit any actions
  • seems unfair to minorities
  • Oscar Wilde
  • Alasdair MacIntyre
42
Q

what utilitarianism provides the best basis for moral decision making

A

WEAK RULE

  • act follows hedonic calculus which can lead to problems and looks to future which doesn’t give certainty
  • strong rule could be seen as too inflexible for society - weak allows the individuality of act and the guidance of rule
43
Q

why cant you combine all the types of utlitarianism

A
  • weak and strong together is contradictory
  • act uses future rule uses past - how do you know which to use in a crisis
  • act is quantitative but rule is qualitative

Philosophy And Ethics (16 decks)

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