utilitarianism

Question 1

definition

Answer 1

maximising good for majority
even if it exploits minority
rightness/ wrongness of action determined by utility of action

Question 2

the ones who walk away from omelas

Answer 2

ursula le guin 1973
- guilt is part of HN
- walk away- dont want happiness to be at someone else’s expense

Question 3

act

Answer 3

no necessary moral rules except one
should always seek greatest happiness for greatest number always

Question 4

preference

Answer 4

enjoyment v suffering should always be taken into account when making moral decisions
taking all preferences into account when making moral decision

Question 5

panopticon

Answer 5

bentham scheme
greatest pleasure= citizens of city ensured safety with criminals away + V few guards having to work there to reduce their suffering

Question 6

bentham

Answer 6

act
HR are ‘nonsense on stilts’
all pleasures are of same value
‘nature has place mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure’

Question 7

hedonic calculus

Answer 7

fecundity
remoteness
intensity
extent
duration
purity
certainty

Question 8

criticisms of HC

Answer 8

lots of the factors aren’t actually quantifiable/ cannot be known / predicted and highly subjective
swine ethic
impractical

Question 9

mill

Answer 9

RULE
HR underlying requirement for happiness
higher pleasure- of mind
lower- of body
should not be weighted same when making decisions

Question 10

harm principle

Answer 10

mill
everyone acts individually as long as action is not directly harming someone else

Question 11

singer

Answer 11

‘the notion that human life is sacred just because its human life is medieval’
PRACTICAL ETHICS
physical/ emotional proximity should not be taken into account when making a decision

Question 12

david lyons

Answer 12

rule collapses into act
mills utilitarianism compatible with recognising importance of rights