utilitarianism Flashcards
(12 cards)
what is benthams utilitarianism
it argues right and wrong isnt fixed and is based on pleasure,bentham argues we are more inclined to do what brings pleasure and avoids pain,
what is the hedonic calculus
this is the mathematical way to calculate the overall pain and pleasure used for something. for the possible pain and pleasure we need to consider
intensity- how strong is the pain or pleasure involved
duration- how long it lasts
certainty- how sure are we that the anticipated pain or pleasure will occur,
propinquity- how soon will the pleasure or pain occur
fecudinty- how likely is it that the pleasure will lead to further pleasures
purity- how likely is it that pain will result form the original pleasure
extent- how many people will be affected
what is mills utilitarianism
mill is interested in types of pleasures, higher- intellectual and social pleasures only humans can enjoy
lower pleasures-pleasures everyone can enjoy such as food and sex. mill argues all competent judges who have experienced higher pleasures will conclude that the higher pleasures are better than lower pleasures
mill proposes the non harm principle, he states each individual so be free to live as they choose as long as they dont cause harm to others. he argues governments should only introduce laws to prevent harms from others
what is act utilitarianism
this aims to produce the best balance of Good over evil in each case. it takes situation in a case by case basis and uses benthams approach. it means we will give different answers to the same action, depending on the context.for example, there may be greater pleasure by telling your friend the correct direction to the shop if they need to buy goods, yet telling the truth wont be good if the school bully is asking where your friend is to beat him up
what is rule utilitarianism
this also aims to bring the greatest balance of good over evil but it focuses on society than an individual.it suggests we do on the whole an action that we know will bring the most happiness. we know stealing creates more misery to the victim than it brings pleasure to the perpetrator so we are able to create the rule that stealing is wrong. it isnt fixed. the basis on rules is the greater good over happiness
strong and weak rule utilitarianism
a strong rule utilitarian approach argues once we decided rules we cant go against it and the rules are fixed.
a weak utilitarian would make allowances for exceptions
theres a debate to where mill would classify himself as an act of rule utilitarian as he argues the past experience of a human allows us to know there tendencies of actions.his principles of liberty and the non harm principle are rules that allow society to flourish so he would be seen as rule but hes aware of the problem posed by kant of the murderer seeking his next victim so mill would say its sensible to lie in that position so the weak rule utilitarianism is the broad position
measuring pleasure
mill argues if we want to know what is good and desirable we should look at what people desire. people do seek pleasure and happiness, they pursue it as an end in itself and everything else in life that is desirable is desirable only because it contributes to the goal of happiness. so this observation tells us happiness is a good thing and it should be pursued
mill offers an analogy to reinforcee his point, if we want to know what is or isnt visible the only way we can prove this is by asking what can actually seen. in the same way we can only resolve what is desirable by asking what people desire. this however doesnt mean what they desire is good
what is the a03 for pleasure cant be measured
most things that can be measured have units of measurements, pleasure doesnt have this
pleasure isnt objective as it differs in individuals therefore we cant measure it as what brings people pleasure may not be good
nozicks experience machine and moores open question argument raises the possibility that even if we could measure pleasure we arent necessarily measuring the good
singers preference utilitarianism
this recognises that people have different views about what happiness is and we have different aims in life and different things we consider important(preferences). this argues we should be allowed to carry out our preference as long as it doesnt interfere with anyone elses pursuit of happiness. hence the morally good thing to do is what maximises the satisfaction of the preferences and interests of most people. in doing so we have to imagine ourselves as impartial observers free from bias.
singer argues the preference of all persons should be taken into account. animals can be described as persons, although we cant articulate their preferences we can consider their interests and assume what they desire.
an advantage of this form of utilitarianism is that its easier to measure. it also allows individuals to pursue their own interests and not be restricted to whatever the majority deems to be happiness.
what is nozicks experience machine
nozcik asks us to consider the possibility that scientists invent a machine that you can step into that gives you every possible pleasurable sensation you could ever wish to experience without actually having real experiences. nozick states we would decline the opportunity as we value real life experiences more. this shows pleasure isnt the ultimate thing we aim for in life
is utility a good basis for making moral judgements
nozicks experience machine shows us if utility is understood in terms of pleasure then its not the thing thats most important for us
if we assume utility is something similar to preferencee, its unclear whos preferences we do or dont count for example snails or dogs.
utility is too demanding, greater happiness is always achieved by giving money and resources to the poorest rather than buying oneself a coffee or taking out a subscription for the latest films. it becomes morally wrong to give ourself treats
there are other motivations that represent better moral motivations such as duty, agape and telos
