Moral philosophy Flashcards
•Normative ethical theories -Utilitarianism -Kantian deontological ethics -Aristotelian virtue ethics •Applied ethics •Meta-ethics -Moral realism -Moral anti-realism (24 cards)
Utilitarian ethical theories are consequentialist what does this mean?
Consequentialist theories focus on the consequence/ outcome of an action to determine if its right or wrong, they don’t care about the cation its self.
What is Act utilitarianism’s claim?
We should act to minimise pain and maximise pain in each specific circumstance
What is Psychological hedonism?
This is when a person s motivated by pleasure or pain , and a person is controlled by their desire to be happy and avoid pain.
What’s the quote by Bentham for psychological hedonism?
“Nature has place man under the governance of two masters, pleasure and pain.
What is the “utility principle” ?
The idea that actions should be judged by their usefulness, their tendency to produce benefits, pleasure, advantage and good for a person.
What are the 7 parts of the calculus?
Intensity: how strong the pleasure is
Duration: how long the pleasure lasts
Certainty: how likely the pleasure is to occur
Propinquity: how soon the pleasure will occur
Fecundity: how likely the pleasure will lead to more pleasure
Purity: how likely the pleasure will lead to pain
Extent: the number of people affected
When is the Hedonic calculus used?
Bentham would use the hedonic calculus to calculate the amount of pleasure or pain a situation causes a person, each element is used to consider the morality of an act.
What does quantitative mean?
Bentham’s Utilitarianism is quantitative- it looks at numbers and stats.
What does Bentham say about pleasures being equal?
“Quality of pleasure being equal ,pushpin is as good as poetry”- Bentham
This means that all pleasures are equal, they all contribute the same unit of jo. Regardless of if its a good action or a bad one.
How are “good” and “utility” connected?
For utilitarians good is utility. They think that the best decision is the one that maximises utility, based on the the results of an action, results are measured in terms of the happiness they produce.
What are the pros of using the Hedonic Calculus?
The calculus allows a person to consider all points before coming to a decision , as it takes into consideration multiple points of views , and is rational
What are the cons of using the Hedonic Calculus?
-Its slow to use
-Its subjective - pleasure is different to everyone
-Cant be used in a desperate/fast action scenario
What are criticisms for Act Utilitarianism?
-Swine ethics
-tyranny of the majority
-morals and relationships
-ignores intentions
Why is Act Utilitarianism swine ethics?
Bentham has been accused of using swine ethics because people can use utility to get what they want , as long as the most people get the most benefit out of it. this could lead to the tyranny of the majority
What is the tyranny of the majority?
If 10 sadists were harassing one innocent person , according to the utility principle, they are doing a moral act, as they are getting the most amount of over all happiness. However its obvious that harassing people isn’t a moral act.
How do relationships impact Utilitarianism?
- That £10 you spend buying your mum a birthday present made her happy but it would have made Joe Bloggs in Mozambique happier. So, buying your Mum a birthday present was morally wrong according to utilitarianism.
-The time you spent with your friends made them happy, but volunteering at the local soup kitchen would have increased the greatest good for the greatest number more effectively. So, you acted wrongly by spending time with your friends because this did not maximise the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
If we sincerely followed act utilitarianism we would never be morally permitted to spend time and money with our loved ones.
How do emotions impact Utilitarianism?
In the Burning House example if you had to save your mother or a scientist with the cure for cancer who would you save?
Most people would say their mum, because she raised you and you love her,
Bentham says that the only moral option is the cancer doctor, because in saving him you will end up saving many many more lives, hence increasing overall happiness in society.
Why is ignoring the intentions bad?
What makes an action right or wrong according to utilitarianism is whether it increases happiness. So, if someone tries to do something evil but accidentally increases happiness, then utilitarianism says what they did was good.
even if a villains intention is to commit mass ,murder, but they end up saving lives heir action is deemed as good.
Who was John Stuart Mill?
Mill was the main advocate for Rule Utilitarianism.
What is Rule Utilitarianisms claim ?
Rule Utilitarianism is the hedonistic moral theory where everything’s judged by a case by case scenario, based on immediate impact, and by how much pleasure or pain a scenario makes. Mills approach was still to maximise pleasure and minimise pain, but he distinguished between higher and lower pleasures.
What are high level pleasures?
-Train intellectual and moral capacities
-Reading
-Debate
-Philosophical discussion
What are low level pleasures?
-Body pleasures and comforts
-Eating and drinking
-Drugs and smoking
-Watching TV
What does qualitative mean?
Mills Rule Utilitarianism was Qualitative- it depended on he quality of the pleasure rather than the quantity of the pleasure received by the doer.
