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Philosophy > Topic 3: Ethics: Utilitarianism > Flashcards

Topic 3: Ethics: Utilitarianism Flashcards

1
Q

What is utilitarianism

A

The morally right action is the action that maximises overall/total utility (I.e. good effects)

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2
Q

What are thr main characteristics of utilitarianism

A
  • consequentialism
  • consciousness/welfarism
  • impartiality
  • maximisation
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3
Q

Consequentialism

A

The ,oral rightness of an action depends only on its effects and not on anything about what type of action it is, nor or anything that we can no longer affect such as the past

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4
Q

Consciousness/welfarism

A

Things are morally right or wrong solely because of their effects on conscious/sentient beings who care about how they feel and what happens. Without such beings nothing would be right or wrong

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5
Q

Impartiality

A

All conscious beings are to be included when we are considering the effects of an action and none have any more or any less importance than any pther

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6
Q

Maximisation

A

The morally right action is the action that maximises overall utility as opposed to equalising utility across individuals or giving utility to those who deserve jt

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7
Q

Hedonistic utilitarianism

A

The morally right action is the action that maximises the balance of pleasure over pain

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8
Q

Hedonism

A

By utility, Bentham means of ‘sensations of pleasure’

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9
Q

Quantitative

A

Pleasure is only to be measured based in its quantity. Any difference there may be in the quality of the pleasures is not relevant

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10
Q

What is Bentham hedonism

A

Bentham goal was to achieve ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’

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11
Q

What are the 2 kinds of hedonism

A
  • psychological
  • ethical
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12
Q

Psychological hedonism

A

Only pleasure and pain motivates us

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13
Q

Ethical hedonism

A

Only pleasure has moral value and only pain or displeasure has moral disvalue

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14
Q

Facts about bentham to use

A
  • bentham does not make judgments about the va,he of the actions that make people happy or sad
  • at a time when many people were very judgmental about the morality of homosexual relationships, it was Bentham who argued for decriminalisation.
  • he was an advocate for women’s happiness being counted equally with men’s
  • also included animals in this calculation as they experienced pleasure or pain.
  • he was both a psychological hedonist and an ethical hedonist
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15
Q

What is Bentham utility calculus

A

How to measure the quantity of different experiences of happiness. They are 7 criteria’s on how to measure pain and pleasure by measuring the pain and pleasure

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16
Q

What 3 stages do we go through if we are comparing the amount of pleasure or pain

A
  1. The value of any particular pleasures of pains caused by the action
  2. The tendency that a particular type of action has to produce pleasure or pain
  3. The number of people that will feel pleasure or pain
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17
Q

What are the 7 criteria’s in Bentham calculus

A
  • intensity
  • duration
  • certainty
  • propinquity
  • fecundity
  • purity
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18
Q

Intensity

A

How intense the pleasure or pain is

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19
Q

Duration

A

How long the pleasure or pain lasts

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20
Q

Likelihood

A

The likelihood/certainty - how certain you are that the pleasure will occur as a result of the action based on the knowldge of the past

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21
Q

Propinquity

A

How close in time the pleasure is

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22
Q

Fecundity

A

How likely it is that it will lead to more of the same sensation
“The chance it has of being followed by sensations of the same kind: that is, pleasures, it it be a pleasure: pleasure, pains: if it be a pain”

23
Q

Purity

A

How likely it is that it will not lead to more of the opposite sensation
- so an act will be purer the less likely it is to lead to the opposite feeling (I.e. if an act initially causes some pleasure it will be purer it is less likely to lead to pain)

24
Q

Extent

A

The number of the people affected

25
Q

The criteria’s that hold VALUE

A
  • intensity
  • duration
  • certainty
  • propinquity
26
Q

Criteria’s that hold the tendency that a particular type of actions that has to produce pleasure or pain (effects)

A
  • fecundity
  • purity
27
Q

Criteria’s that hold the number of people who feel pleasure or pain

A

Extent

28
Q

Supporting arguments for Benthams calculus

A

Bentham does not think that the principle of utility can be proves. He takes it to just be self evident that pleasure is the only thing that is morally valuable and should be maximised

29
Q

Mills

A
  • brought up to be a radical social leader
  • never went to university and never taught in a university
  • worked for the east India company before working for the government
  • did philosophy outside his job
  • elected as an MP and made an extension of suffrage to women
30
Q

What does John mills believe

A

The morally right action is the action that maximises the balance of pleasure over pain, taking the QUALITY of the pleasures into consideration

31
Q

Qualitative

A

Pleasure is only to be measured based not only on its quantity but also on the quality of pleasures. Higher pleasures are worth more than lower pleasures when deciding how to act

32
Q

Similarities between Bentham and mills

A
  • hedonistic utilitarian
  • subscribed to psychological and ethical hedonism
33
Q

Difference between Bentham and mill

A

Mill believes that the quality of pleasure/pain matters as well the quantity. He criticised him for not distinguishing between the quality of pleasures

34
Q

Quotes by mills that criticises Bentham

A
  • “it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; it is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied”
  • “a beasts pleasures do not satisfy a human beings conception of happiness”
35
Q

What does mills argue

A
  • That there are higher and lower qualified of pleasures
  • to see if an action is morally right, the quality of it has to be considered
36
Q

Higher qualities of pleasure

A

The capability of experiencing higher and more valuable pleasures
- poetry
- aesthetic
- spiritual
- intellectual pleasures
- philosophy, literature, deep friendship and family ties

37
Q

Lower qualities of pleasure

A

Pleasures that human beings were capable of having that are exactly the same as those we share with animals
- eating
- sex
- drinking
- physical plat

38
Q

How does mills measure high pleasure and low pleasure

A

Mills higher pleasure test.
- in order to decide which pleasures are higher or lower, mills answer is that when we are ranking 2 different pleasures:
- if there be one to which all or almost all who have experienced both give a decided preference, irrespective of any feeling of moral obligation to prefer it- that it the most desirable pleasure.

39
Q

What is mills higher pleasure test

A

1) taking 2 pleasures
2) take those who are competently acquainted with both pleasures
3) if they choose A despite any moral obligation, any quantity of B and A coming with greater discontent.
4) then A is a ‘higher quakity’ pleasure

40
Q

What happens if the pursuit of pleasure leads to moral obligation

A

If the pursuit of pleasure will (likely to) lead to a lot of heartache and dissatisfaction, but we would still pursuer it in preference to large amounts of another pleasure, then we can be sure that it is a higher pleasure,

41
Q

Mills ‘proof’ of principle of utility

A

P1: Everyone DESIRES happiness (I.E. everyone values happiness). Justified through psychological hedonism through A posteriori experience
P2: everyone’s happiness is desirable (I.E. happiness is valuable) justified as there is no other proof of what is desirable or valuable than what people actually desire.
P3: the general happiness is desirable (valuable) justified: more of something that is valuable is better.
P4: ONLY happiness is desirable for its own sake. Justified: everything else is desirable/valuable as it gives and provides happiness. Everything else that you think is valuable is only valuable as it gives you something els as they contribute to happiness
C: therefore, the morally right action is the one that maximises happiness. Happiness has to be our standard of morality as it is onky our desirable thing

42
Q

What type of argument is mills ‘proof’ of principle of utility

A

It is a non deductive argument as the conclusion doesn’t intended to follow the premises with logical necessity

43
Q

Who objects to hedonistic utilitarianism

A

Robert nozick

44
Q

Robert nozick

A

Nozicks experience machine challenges hedonistic utilitarianism
He believes that pleasure is not the only good

45
Q

Experience machine

A

P1: If happiness was the only thing desired for its own sake then we would plug into the experience machine without hesitation (assuming that it gave us more happiness than real life would).
P2: However, we would not plug into the experience machine without hesitation.
C1: Therefore, happiness is not the only thing desired for its own sake.
C2: Therefore, psychological hedonism (pleasure is the only thing we desire) is false.
If psychological hedonism is false, there’s no reason to think pleasure should be our standard of morality

46
Q

Non-hedonistic preference utilitarianism

A

The morally right action is the action that maximises the satisfaction of preferences.
It follows the principle of utility (but defines utility differently)
Instead, utility refers to the satisfaction of the maximum amount of preferences

47
Q

How is preference utilitarianism preference based

A

What matters is whether things are the way that people prefer them to be, whether things align with their desires.

48
Q

What does utility mean in preference utilitarianism

A

Preference/desire-satisfaction

49
Q

What do preference utilitarians believe the right thing to do is

A

They believe that the rught thung to do is to maximise satisfaction of preference of conscious beings rather than pleasure and happiness

50
Q

What does preference utilitarianism judge

A

It judges actions not just by their tendency to maximise pleasure or minimise pain, but by the extent to which they accord with the preferneces of any beings affected by the actions or consequences

51
Q

What does preference utilitarianism focus on

A

They do not focus on feelings of pleasure, rather they focus on the satisfaction of preferences

52
Q

How do preference utilitarians kmow what the rught thing to do is

A

When deciding what the right thing to do is, they will include all beings capable of having preferences. They would most likely take into account the intensity and magnitude of the prefernce when doing the calculations

53
Q

When is a preference satisfied

A

A preference is satisfied when the state of affairs preferred is brought about, not just by thinking about it

54
Q

Key points about preference utilitarianism

A
  • everyone’s preference counts equally (not just your preference) I.E. giving to charity
  • strength of preference counts (not just the number of people)
  • beings are included in the ‘calculation’ in so far as they have preferences.

Philosophy (5 decks)

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