Flashcards in Utilitarianism Deck (11)
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1
What is the objection of impartiality and what is Mills response? And then what are the 2 reasons why the response fails?
-The trolley problem. It doesn’t allow for personal connections/ feelings.
-Mill: Partiality is how we contribute to general happiness.
-Response: We can contribute to general happiness today, so Mill’s response is outdated.
-Stronger Response: If fails to understand the importance of partiality.
2
What is the criticism of tyranny of the majority?
-John Stuart Mill presented this against Act. There are 2 types:
-Democratic government (Dictatorship)
-Social opinion (Peer pressure)
-If there is a majority then this could justify horrific things.
-Response: This is fine if we view situations realistically.
-This fails because how can we ever know ‘realistic situations’. We have to assume consequences.
3
What is the criticism that it’s impossible to work out consequences? And the response to it
-The hedonic calculus is impossible to follow.
-How can we ever know we have achieved the most ‘general happiness’.
Response: Bentham argues the hedonic calculus is only a guideline, not a strict rule.
Responds to Bentham: still too demanding.
4
What is the criticism that happiness isn’t the only thing we seek? And the responses.
-Nozik’s experience machine. We’d rather be in contact to reality because there is a deeper dimension to human happiness.
-Response: Maximisation of preferences. This can be countered by impossible to work out consequences.
-Mills proof-Act collapses into rule.
5
What is the criticism that it justifies anything and the responses to this?
-Mill’s analysis on Justice.
-We need to take into account the act/intentions.
Response: Mills rule utilitarianism or what is wrong! What’s wrong about murder is that someone is dead not the intentions of the murderer.
6
What is the criticism in reference to moral integrity?
-Utilitarianism requires us to sacrifice our own moral values. We don’t actually make a choice
Response: Following our moral integrity contributes to general happiness. Therefore Act Utilitarianism fails.
7
What are Mills 2 parts of his proof of Utilitarianism?
-1) Happiness is good. What is good is what we should aim at in our actions and lives.
-Good is an end, a purpose of action.
-Happiness is a purpose of action.
-No reason can be given why the general happiness is desirable, except that each person desires his own happiness.
-2) Only happiness is good. People don’t only desire happiness.
-Happiness has many ‘ingredients’, such as truth and freedom, and each ingredient is desirable in itself.
-It is impossible to desire something that you don’t think is a pleasure.
8
What are strengths/weaknesses of Utilitarianism?
-Strengths:
-It’s equal, everyone’s happiness is the same.
-It’s easy to understand and follow
-It’s intuitive, we normally do stuff anyway that makes us happy.
-Objections:
-Tyranny Of the majority
-Anything is justified
-Value of intention
-Deeper dimension (Noziks experience machine).
-Values If relationships
9
What are the objections to Rule Utilitarianism?
-Rule fetishism. This is where you become obsessed with the rule and follow them all the time; even if not following will create more happiness.
-Life is too complicated; there will be way too many rules which are all too long.
-Morality can’t be summed up by rules.
10
Outline Rule Utilitarianism and the positives of this.
-An action is right when it complies with those rules which, if everybody followed them, would lead to the greatest happiness.
-It isn’t the consequences of the individual act that matter, but the consequences of everyone following the rules that govern the actions.
-We don’t have to work out the consequences of each act in turn; we can create the rules once, together.
-Some types of acts are ruled out e.g. torturing children.
-A rule that allows us to be partial to family and friends rather than having to be impartial all the time.
-I am only required to act in a way that, if everyone acted like that, would promote the greatest happiness.
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