Bentham and kant Flashcards
(27 cards)
Immanuel KANTS
Categorical Imperative
Benthams Act Utilitarism (consequentialists)
Believed that being ethical was about maximising the amount of PLEASURE and minimising PAIN
How to measure happiness/pleasure?
Hedonic Calculus
When should rules be obeyed?
Only when bringing about the greatest pleasure for the greatest number of people.
Hedonic calculus (P I P E D FC)
Purity, Intensity, Propinquity, Extent, Duration, Fecundity, Certainty
Define Propinquity
How near or far away the pleasure is
define Fecundity
How likely it is to lead to more pleasure
Define intensity
How strong the pleasure is
Define extent
how many people does the pleasure extend to.
Strenghth (1)
It supports what is the best for the majority.
Strentgh (2)
Flexible and teleogical; following rules does not aalways maximise happiness
Streghth (3)
Pleasure is a reasonable basis since everyone wants to be happy
Weaknsesss (1)
prioritese the majority
Weakness (2)
Rules and duties are seen as being of no importance to Bentham
Weakness (3)
Commits the naturalistic fallacy - just bcc beings enjoy pleasure, it doesn’t follow logically that we put to maximise it.
Kant’s, IE KEY POINTS
1) Deontological
2) Only intrinsic good is good will
3) Rules are absolute
Define categorical imperative
An absolute unbreakable moral command
Summum Bonum
The supreme good
Postulate
An assumption that is made to make sense of moral choices: God, Immortality and free will
Universalisability principle
act only according to the maxim whereby you can at he same time should become a universal law
The practical imperative
Act in such a way that you treat humanity… never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end
Strength (1)
Makes rules and dutiesclear
strength (2)
Purely rational, making it fa irerthan Benthams
Strength (3)
The summum bonum argument makes it clear what morality is all about, therefore compatible with religion
