Utilitarianism Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is utilitarianism?
an action is morally right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people
What type of theory is utilitarianism?
Teleological theory
Who is the founding father of utilitarianism?
Jeremy Bentham
Bentham’s theory on pleasure?
Bentham believed human beings are motivated by 2 things - pleasure and pain.
• We try to seek pleasure and avoid pain. He considered pleasure to be the sole ‘good’ and pain to be the sole ‘bad’. Bentham can therefore be described as a HEDONIST - pleasure seeker
What does the hedonic calculus do?
Weighs up the pain and the pleasure generated by the available moral actions for the maximisation of pleasure (and minimum pain) with most people.
What does the hedonic calculus include?
Duration - how long does it last?
Intensity - how intense is the pleasure?
Propinquity - how near/remote is it?
Extent - how widely does it cover?
Certainty - how probable is it?
Purity - how free from pain is it?
Fecundity - does it lead to further pleasure?
Who is John Stuart Mill?
Bentham’s godson
What did Mill believe?
quality was more important than quantity when it came to pleasure
What are the higher and lower pleasures?
• The higher pleasures are those of the mind (philosophy, art etc.)
• The lower pleasures are those of the body (food, body pleasures etc.)
What is consequentialism?
The idea that the morality of an action depends on its consequences
What is utility?
The overall happiness or benefit an action produces
What is the greatest happiness principle?
Actions are right if they promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number
What is hedonism?
The belief that pleasure or happiness is the highest good
Act utilitarianism?
Looks at individual actions and judges them by their consequences
Rule utilitarianism?
Follows general rules that lead to the greatest happiness
