utilitarianism

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  • Created by: am3l1a467
  • Created on: 15-04-23 18:12
what is consequentialism
the view that the moral value of an action lies in its consequences
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what does utilitarianism argue
greatest good fro the greatest number
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what type of utiliarianism did bentham and john stuart mill create
classical utiliariansim
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what does classical utilitarianism argue for
that the ultimate good is pleasure or happiness and is a form of act utilarianism
human behaviour can be explained through psycological hedonism
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what is act utilatarianism
the view that the rightness of an action is based on the act itself and its consequences in a specific situation
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what is psycological hedonism
pleasure is the sole good and pain the sole evil
the rightness of an action depends entirely on the amount of pleasure it tends to produce
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what is the principle of utility
an action ought to be performed only if it brings about the maximum possible happiness for those parties affected by the action- greatest happiness for the greatest number
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how is the goodness determined
on a case by case basis
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an example of the principle of utility
we might need to concider whether an immediate action is going to bring about better consequences than an action in the future
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bentham assumed pain and pleasure were measurable, what did he create to measure this
the hedonic calculus
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what is the 7 stages of the hedonic calculus
1. intensity- how intense is the pain/pleasure
2. duration- how lonmg will the effect last
3. certainity/uncertainty- how certain can we be of the outcome of the action
4. propinquity/remotness- is it an action that will affect me or others soon or at a
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what is the 7 stages of the hedonic calculus
5. fecunidty- will that pleasure/pain produce other pleasures/ pains
6. purity- how likey is it that the pleasure/pain wont be followed by a sensation of the opposite kind
7. extent- the number of people affected by the act
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which did bentham think was more important
to reduce pain then look at pleasure
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a modern day example of the hedonic calculus being used
the nhs- conciders factors such as cost and effectivness of a drug- whether it can cure or just extend life- and how many people need it (overall societal needs)
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example of utilitarianism being used in politics
abortion was legalised on the basis that it would improve womans health- safe medical abortions rather than "backstreet" abortions- these are utilarian decisions
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strengths of act utilitarianism
-Utilitarianism is intuitive in that we naturally consider what we want to be a good thing
-Utilitarianism can give clear answers to some moral problems (but not others)
-It is hard to ignore consequences. Actions do have effects and we should take some a
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strengths of act utilitariansim
-Rather than giving a blanket rule, it puts us in a position to take circumstances into account
-It is a secular philosophy (i.e. one unconnected with religion), which some see as a strength. Morality is created by human beings for human beings.
-It allow
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weaknesses of utilitarianism
-One of the main problems with act utilitarianism is Bentham's hedonic calculus
-It does not consider the quality of the pleasures and pains. Bentham argued that pushpin (a popular pub game at the time) was as good as poetry and should be treated equally
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weaknesses of utilitarianism
-It is hard to use in practice. Can we really decide on the remoteness, intensity, purity and so on of an action and how it will affect other people
-Is there any single experience called pleasure that we can measure? When we think of the word 'pleasure,
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weaknesses of utilitarianism
It is not really possible to consider all the consequences of an action. We might be able to do this for a minor action that involves only one or two people, but an action that involves more people or a more serious moral situation could produce unforesee
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weaknesses of utilitarianism
Act A and act B might both result in the same amount of happiness, but act A involves telling a lie and act B does not. For an act utilitarian there is nothing to choose between these two acts, but surely we would argue that it is better not to tell a lie
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weaknesses of utilitarianism
Bentham's theory runs into trouble when it condones actions which are generally held to be morally inexcusable. For example, a group of prison guards are torturing a prisoner. If the guards' pleasure outweighs the prisoner's pain then, according to the he
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weaknesses of utilitarianism
Basing moral decisions on the principle of utility could lead to injustice and the denial of individual rights. E.g. a serial killer is on the loose the police don’t know who the killer is so they pick someone innocent, but has committed crimes in the pa
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weaknesses of utilitarianism
Finally, most of us agree that we have special responsibilities to particular people.
However, if you saw two people drowning, one your father and the other a renowned cancer specialist, utilitarianism would suggest that you should save the doctor
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what type of utilitarianist was mill
classical hedonistic utilitarian
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what is mills utilitarianism
Inspired by Bentham, Mill argued that pleasure is the sole good and that the promotion of pleasure over pain should determine our moral decisions.
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how did mill adapt benthams utilitarianism (2 ways)
In Utilitarianism (1863), Mill adapted Bentham's utilitarianism in two important ways: assessing pleasure in a qualitative way which contrasts higher and lower pleasures, and adding a framework of moral rules
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what does mill say about higher and lower pleasures
Whereas Bentham argued that one form of happiness was no more important than another, Mill put greater stress on the variety of pleasures and distinguished between their respective values. He maintained that some pleasures, those of the mind, are higher a
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what did mill say about benthams hedonic calculus
Mill rejected Bentham's quantitative assessment of pleasure in the hedonic calculus and replaced it with a qualitative measure
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what is the qualitative approach
This qualitative approach solves the problem of the principle of utility justifying immoral acts: the pleasure experienced by the sadistic guards does not make the action moral because this particular type of pleasure is of such a low value that it does n
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what does mill say about how we are able to distinguish between the two orders of pleasure
-Mill says we should look to 'competent judges' who have experienced both kinds of pleasure. An opinion poll among these judges, according to Mill, would reveal that they consistently choose the pleasures of the intellect in preference to the 'lower' plea
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what is rule utilitarianism
a variant of utilitarianism based on a set of rules created using the principle of utility in order to give a framework for moral decision-making
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While Bentham argued against the idea of a set of rules to govern behaviour what did mill argue
Mill argued that a behavioural code or rule is morally right if the consequences of adopting that rule are more favourable than unfavourable to everyone
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While Bentham's act utilitarianism weighs the consequences of each particular action, what does mill argue in favour of
rule utilitarianism offers a framework of moral rules which will have favourable consequences for everyone
Adopting a rule that says 'You should not kill another person' will create more happiness for the majority as people will not be killed and will not
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Strengths of rule utilitarianism
Rule utilitarianism avoids the need to use the hedonic calculus and the need to make complex calculations in order to make a moral decision
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Strengths of rule utilitarianism
The rule utilitarian can simply appeal to a rule, such as 'Do not steal' Rule utilitarians only ask that, when we create the rules, we promote those rules that result in the greatest good for the greatest number. We can select, revise and replace these ru
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Strengths of rule utilitarianism
Rule utilitarianism respects people's liberties and rights. Mill argued that utilitarianism is compatible with classical liberal principles in that the happiest or most flourishing society would be one where people are allowed to do what they want and pur
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Strengths of rule utilitarianism
Act utilitarianism can, in certain circumstances, justify immoral actions. Rule utilitarianism avoids this in two ways. First, it focuses on general rules rather than individual actions
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Strengths of rule utilitarianism
Act utilitarianism may justify individual acts of stealing, for example, but rule utilitarianism would have a blanket rule against stealing because prohibiting stealing has positive consequences for the whole of society
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Strengths of rule utilitarianism
Second, rule utilitarianism argues for quality rather than quantity. The pleasure prison guards gain from torturing a prisoner can never equal the pleasure of setting up a fair-trade business
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what is the harm principle
J.S mills liberal principle that individuals should be free to do as they wish as long as they do not harm others or their interests
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weaknesses of rule utilitarianism
Higher and lower pleasures are hard to define and hard to separate. Is listening to rap music less of a higher pleasure than listening to classical music? Is eating an elaborate meal less good than reading commercial romantic fiction
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weaknesses of rule utilitarianism
Who is a 'competent judge? Mill argues that they are people experienced in both pleasures who can justify why some pleasures are higher. By this definition, Mill's judges are educated people. Mill's theory is arguably elitist. People who are poorly educat
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weaknesses of rule utilitarianism
There is a possible contradiction between the consequentialist element of rule utilitarianism and its focus on following rules
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weaknesses of rule utilitarianism
Once a rule has been decided based on utility, do we abide by the rule because it is the rule or do we have in mind the fact that stealing has negative consequences? If we follow the rule because it is the rule, then arguably rule utilitarianism is not ut
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weaknesses of rule utilitarianism
What happens if I want to break the rule because breaking the rule has more utility than obeying the rule? For example, there is a clear rule against killing, but I mav have to kill in self-defence. In that case I break the rule because it leads to greate
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what did robert nozick come up with
the experince machiene- he asks us to imagine an experience machine that can give us any pleasurable experience we want. For example, you could think or feel that you were writing a great novel, unaware that you're actually in a machine, would you plug in
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what would Classical utilitarians argue
that we should plug into the machine as this will promote pleasure and happiness for the majority of people
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however what does nozick argue
Nozick gives us three reasons not to plug in:
-We want actually to do things and not just have the experience of doing them
-We want to be a certain sort of person, not 'a blob' floating in a tank.
-Plugging into the machine limits us to a man-made realit
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what would we demonstrate by plugging into the machine
By considering plugging into the machine and then rejecting the idea, we demonstrate that there are other values that matter to our wellbeing as well as pleasure/happiness
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what would religious belivers argue for
Religious believers, for example, would argue that self-sacrifice, suffering and unhappiness can at times have a greater moral value as they allow you to grow spiritually and get closer to God.
Modern arguments have tended to abandon the hedonism of class
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what is preferance utilitarinism
a modern version of utilatarianism whihc argues that an action should be judged on the extent to which it conforms to the preferences of those involved rather than the pleasures it produces
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what does peter singer argue
Singer argues that hedonistic utilitarianism, with its emphasis on pleasure, does not take into account the different views people have on what constitutes pleasure and pain and the different views individuals have regarding happiness
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what does preferance utilitarianism aim for
it aims to solve this problem by arguing that you should take into account the preferences of the person concerned in each case, unless those preferences are outweighed by the preferences of other people. In other words, the right thing to do isthe act th
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example of preferance utilitarianism
For example, lying is wrong because it goes against the preference most people have to
know the truth
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what does preferance for singer mean

and an example
Preference, for Singer, also refers to 'best interests. In other words, sometimes our pleasure or preference is tempered by what is in our best interest to do. For example, sitting an exam might not be a person's preference but it is in their long-term be
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strengths of preferance utilitarianism
-Preference utilitarianism doesn't attempt to calculate pleasure or happiness.
Instead it asks people what they prefer and what they think is in their best
interests
-It allows people to speak up for themselves and defend their rights. It starts with the
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strengths of preferance utilitarianism
-I know best what my preferences and interests are. Under the principle of utility, I may have to give up my preferences for the sake of the majority. This is a problem preference utilitarianism avoids
-It acknowledges that not all situations are identica
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weaknesses of preferance utilitarianism
What if a community had a preference for perversion or cruelty? As long as the preferences of those involved are being satisfied, it would seem that preference utilitarianism can justify morally questionable acts
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weaknesses of preferance utilitarianism
Preference utilitarianism still does not solve the problem of how we decide what the consequences of the action might be and it cannot take into account all the consequences of an action
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weaknesses of preferance utilitarianism
-The preferences of the many may outweigh the preference of the one. If a woman wishes to have an abortion but all her friends and family are against it, what happens
-What if someone is not in a position to express their preference, for example a baby or
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weaknesses of preferance utilitarianism
Do I choose what I prefer now or what I would prefer in the long run if I knew all the facts? I may prefer now to smoke and take no exercise, but this is hardly in my long-term interest
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weaknesses of preferance utilitarianism
Preference utilitarianism is incompatible with religious approaches to ethics.
Religious believers may view suffering and unhappiness as meaningful because they are a test from God and so has greater moral value than human preferences- e.g. Joni Eareckson
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what is negative utilitarianism
a form of utilitarianism that first seeks to avoid pain before seeking happiness
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what type of utilitarianism if negative utilitarianism
modern utilitarianism
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who proposed negative utilitarianism
Karl popper
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what did popper argue
Popper agreed that morality should be based on seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, but argued that there is no clear symmetry between pleasure and pain. We should aim to minimise pain and suffering first rather than seek happiness
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what did popper believe the role of the state is
Popper believed that the role of the state and public policy is first to minimise suffering, whereas happiness is essentially a private matter. Public resources should be directed first towards reducing the pain of hunger and poverty
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taken to its logical conclusion what can be argued
negative utilitarianism could lead to mass euthanasia: after all, the best way to avoid suffering and minimise pain would be to ensure the end of the world and the quick termination of all future suffering
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what is ideal utilitarianism
a form of utilitarianism that takes into account intrinsitc benefits like beauty or knowledge not just pleasure
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who proposed ideal utilitarianism
G.E. Moore
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what is it concerned with
maximising good
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how does it differ from most forms of utilitarianism
it differs in what its view of good is
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unlike the hedonistic calculus what is it concerned with
Unlike hedonistic utilitarianism, it is not concerned onlv with pleasure or happiness, but also with other intrinsic goods, such as beauty or knowledge. A great work of art, for instance, is valuable in itself, not merely because it brings pleasure to tho
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what does it deny
Ideal utilitarianism denies that the sole object of moral concern is hedonism - the maximising of pleasure or happiness
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what does it also concider
It considers other morally significant consequences, which are not necessarily pleasing or painful. Certain things can be unpleasant but good in themselves, such as chemotherapy. Other things that seem pleasant at first, such as smoking or getting drunk,
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UTILITARIANISM
UTILITARIANISM
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