Bentham Flashcards
(13 cards)
What is Bentham’s Utilitarianism?
A moral theory that advocates for the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people, focusing on maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain.
What is the Trolley Problem?
A thought experiment where a train will kill five people tied to a track, and one can divert the train to kill one person instead. Bentham would choose to kill one to save five.
What is the Principle of Utility?
Actions are judged by their usefulness in producing benefit and increasing overall good while decreasing overall evil.
What is Act Utilitarianism?
A form of utilitarianism proposed by Jeremy Bentham, stating that one should always perform the act that leads to the greatest balance of good over evil.
What is Hedonic Calculus?
A system to calculate pleasure and pain based on seven factors: intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity, and extent.
Who is John Stuart Mill?
An influential utilitarian philosopher (1806-1873) who developed Rule Utilitarianism and emphasized the quality of pleasures over quantity.
What is Rule Utilitarianism?
A form of utilitarianism that suggests following rules that generally lead to the greatest good, developed by John Stuart Mill.
What is Preference Utilitarianism?
A contemporary form of utilitarianism proposed by RM Hare and Peter Singer, stating that actions are right if they maximize satisfaction of preferences.
What is the ‘Tyranny of the Majority’?
A criticism of utilitarianism, highlighting the risk of the majority imposing its will on the minority, potentially leading to human rights violations.
What are the strengths of Utilitarianism?
Maximizing happiness is a good aim, it is a secular theory applicable to all, and it is straightforward to apply.
What are the weaknesses of Utilitarianism?
Subjectivity in measuring pleasure and pain, the naturalistic fallacy, and potential for extreme acts being justified.
What did Bentham say about human rights?
He described human rights as ‘nonsense on stilts’, indicating skepticism about their validity within utilitarianism.
What is the significance of Bentham’s Hedonic Calculus?
It provides a method for evaluating the consequences of actions based on pleasure and pain, but is criticized for being complex and time-consuming.
