bentham summary
• Non-theist
• Hedonist, pleasure determines what we should or should not do
o ‘All human beings pursue pleasure and avoid pain’
hedonic calc
o Intensity – the amount of pleasure produced
o Duration – the length of time the pleasure is likely to last
o Certainty – the likelihood/probability of pleasure being the result
o Propinquity – how near/remote, in time of place, are the benefits of an act
o Fecundity – likelihood of the act being followed by similar reactions
o Purity – probability and degree of pain diluting the pleasure
o Extent – how widespread the pleasure will be (Mill’s addition)
strengths/weaknesses of HC
o + Easy to apply, makes outlines clear
o + Looks at every situation, treated equally
o + Can all relate to human inclination towards pleasure
o – Can never truly guarantee outcomes
o – Pleasure outcomes are not always moral
o – Pleasure is subjective
o – Not all pleasures have equal worth
act util
• Act Util (Apply to specific case, determine general rule)
o Examining every situation with an individualistic approach, focusing on the quantity of happiness produced.
o Every action judged on its own merits, all circumstances taken into consideration, v flexible but time consuming
- apply HC and decipher whether an action causes pleasure, if yes, then it is right.
o Rules are of no value within assessment
strengths of bentham
- People naturally seek pleasure rather than pain
- It provides a clear, mathematical method of deciding any course of action.
- Teleological, looks at consequences, reflects how most make decisions.
- Common sense is involved, accessible to all.
- Views humans as equal to animals, Singer.
bernard williams on util
• Bernard Williams, 4 Reasons to support Util:
o Accessible, does not require RE belief
o Relies on goodness/pleasure, open to all, can accept majority happiness as idea.
o Straightforward when applying to ethical decision making
o Offers common currency to make moral decisions
weaknesses of bentham general
- Views all pleasures as being of equal value
- Describes human rights as ‘nonsense upon stilts’, claiming that it would be wrong to allow the rights of an individual to prevent actions that might lead to the general happiness of society.
- Theory has the logical consequence of allowing what reason might deem evil as good.
- Bentham’s Util requires a great deal of knowledge in order to make moral decisions.
- Not applicable – requires great deal of time to calculate the realistic outcome of a decision.
weaknesses of bentham - Hume
• Naturalistic fallacy – David Hume
case studies - bernard williams
that he has a group of Indians that are about to be killed for protesting against the government. Says to Jim that he can either kill one and the others go free, or leave and the man will kill them all.
o Bentham – would shoot the one, greatest amount of happiness for greatest number of people.
o Mill – work out the intensity of the pain of the one in comparison to happiness of group
o Kant – do not kill one as you cannot guarantee the outcome, and would be using the individual as a means to an end.
case study - richard norman
• Richard Norman gives example of father promising daughter to take her on child-seat of bike. About to leave, son asks to go, father knows he will enjoy it very slightly more than his daughter, who he has already promised to bring.
o Bentham – take the son, greater amount of happiness
o Mill – have to take into account pain of daughter
j.s. mill general
- Rejected simplistic format of Bentham Util, aimed to improve it. Bentham ‘remained a child all his life’
- Mill saw happiness not as a physical thing, but as a state of well-being, and self-fulfilment.
- Looks at happiness of society, if you increase general happiness, you will increase your own. (Bentham was v. individualistic)
mill - higher vs. lower pleasures
• Higher vs. lower pleasures – distinguishing between amount and quality of pleasure.
o Higher pleasures – progressive, include philosophical insight, educational development, self-improvement, empathy etc.
o Lower pleasures – eating, drinking, sex. Make you happy, but does nothing for person’s progressive nature, ‘worthy only of swine’
o ‘It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied’ – attack on Bentham’s hedonism, but also fools who look to lower pleasures for happiness.
weak rule util
• Weak rule utilitarian (Rule Util developed by John Austin in UK)
o Rules are a helpful guidance, not obligatory
• General rules exist to achieve benefit for the majority of people
• They prevent selfish use of Util principles and a subjective notion of what constitutes happiness/pleasure
• Rules have consequences, aim for social benefit
• Do not always need to be acted upon, if they will bring harm to others
o Creates rules to apply for the happiness of society
o Self-sacrificial approach, individual pleasure might be sacrificed to the community
modern rule utils
o Modern rule Utilitarians: Brandt and Alasdair MacIntyre
strengths of mill
- He attempted to give equal rights; advocate of women’s rights, wife Harriet Taylor was prominent feminist.
- Tried to incorporate justice into theory, focus on society, contrast to Bentham.
- Incorporated human rights into thinking.
- Recognised that happiness does not necessarily equate to physical pleasure, higher vs. lower pleasures making it clear that humans are on a higher plain to animals. (Bentham thought humans were equal to animals)
- Emphasised importance of autonomy.
weaknesses of mill
• Teleological – cannot guarantee outcome
• Happiness is subjective
o ‘Do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you; they may have different tastes’ – Oscar Wilde
• Some physical pleasures lead to high quality of happiness
• Can a theory aimed at happiness, which can justify evil, really be seen as a ‘moral theory’? Focused on happiness rather than morality.
similarities between bentham and mill
- Belief that pain and pleasure is inbuilt in human nature
- Belief that happiness is highest goal
- Belief in human progress
- Rejection of Religion and theonomous ethics
- Rejection of a priori moral truths
differences between bentham and mill
- Quantity vs. quality
- All pleasures are equal vs. higher and lower pleasure
- Focus on individual vs. focus on society
- Hedonic calculus vs. rejection of HC
- Human rights are nonsense vs. important
preference util
- Strictly rational Util, claiming to think without appeal to emotion/sentimentality.
- Should seek what we would rationally prefer as an outcome, even though it may not be in our own best interests.
- We may prefer outcomes in a rational way even though those outcomes do not directly lead to our own satisfaction e.g. may prefer altruism, although I am not personally more satisfied as a result of my giving to others.
- Strong believer in speciesism – that humans consider wrongly consider themselves to be superior to animals, must have equality of consideration.
o Modern Act Util
developed by Henry Sidgwick
michael palmer - supporting mill’s idea of happiness not as something physical
o Honesty etc. are characteristics of the moral life not because they have intrinsic value (i.e. that they are pleasurable in themselves), but because they have an instrumental value (i.e. That these are qualities that lead to pleasure). - Michael Palmer
Bentham background
period of industrialisation
concerned about society and poor horses
barrister - wanted to find new basis for justice system
In his studies, read the phrase ‘greatest happiness for greatest number’ - became the basis of his theory, the principle of utility
weaknesses of Bentham - nozick
• Robert Nozick asks whether pleasurable experiences truly lead to human contentment? a pleasurable experience can be simulated through electrodes, is it true happiness if your experience is not real?
weaknesses of Bentham - Macintyre
• Alasdair MacIntyre criticised Util for being unfair – pleasure for the masses is not protecting minority who are most vulnerable and in need.
