Utalitarianism Flashcards
What is utilitarianism?
A theory that says that you should decide what you do in order to provide the most happiness and the least pain in a situation.
Why is utilitarianism referred to as a Hedonistic theory?
Because it is centred around pleasure.
Jeremy Bentham has said that we are ruled by two hey instincts…
Pain and pleasure. We strive to avoid pain and seek pleasure.
Benthams approach to utilitarianism is quantitative because…
we need to maximise pleasure and minimise pain in any situation.
To help us maximise pleasure and minimise pain, Bentham created the…
Hedonic Calculus which consists of 7 different factors.
What are the main criticisms (3) for Bentham’s utilitarianism?
Some people are worse at predicting the future, Hedonic calculus is impractical and different people experience different amounts of pleasure.
What is Act Utilitarianism?
Every action should be considered individually and accordingly to utilitarian principles.
What is Rule Utilitarianism?
We should apply utilitarianism to rules and follow the ones that bring about the most happiness.
What’s the difference between weak rule utilitarians and strong rule utilitarians?
Weak rule utilitarians would break certain rules when necessary, strong rule utilitarians would establish utilitarian rules that should never be broken.
