Utilitarianism

Question 1

what is Act utilitarianism

Answer 1

decide what to do for EACH individual act, not rules
teleological

Question 2

what is utilitarianism

Answer 2

doctrine that says right thing to do is one that produces most pleasure for most people

Question 3

principle of utility

Answer 3

most pleasure for most people

Question 4

what is rule utilitarianism

Answer 4

decide what to do by following rules

Question 5

Give 3 of the categories of Bentham’s hedonic calculus

Answer 5

• duration- how long the pleasure lasts
• extent- how many people experience the pleasure
• intensity- how strong is the pleasure

Question 6

what are higher pleasures

Answer 6

pleasures of the mind
e.g. reading, poetry

Question 6

why is the hedonic calculus impractical

Answer 6

• moral decisions usually split second choices- limited time
• cant quantify pleasure- it is a feeling, not literal
• pleasure is subjective- someones pleasure may be another’s pain

Question 7

name of Bentham’s book

Answer 7

‘introduction to principles of morals and legislation’

Question 8

who says
‘it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied’

what does he mean

Answer 8

• mill
• better to have lower pleasures but aim to achieve higher pleasures

rather than have lower pleasures and be satisfied with them

Question 9

what are lower pleasures

Answer 9

pleasures of the body
e.g food, sleep, sex

Question 10

what is thomas Carlyle’s rejection to bentham’s utilitarianism

Answer 10

‘philosophy fit for swine’

• encourages people to live like pigs and pursue pleasure by any means possible
• if the only good is feeling good, humans are no different than pigs

Question 11

what is Henry Sidgwick’s objection to Mill

Answer 11

cant distinguish between higher and lower pleasures

E.g reading book about food, includes both higher and lower but cannot know which one takes priority

Question 12

name of peter singers book

Answer 12

practical ethics

Question 13

in what book does Bentham say ‘natural rights is simple nonsense’

Answer 13

‘Anarchial fallacies’

Question 14

what is preference utlitarianism

Answer 14

to do what is best is to take into account everyone’s interests and preferences

good as it considers human rights

Question 15

Bentham is a STRONG act utlitarian- what does this mean

Answer 15

believes we should apply hedonic calculus to EVERY case

Question 16

Mill is a WEAK rule utilitarian- what does this mean

Answer 16

believes rules dont have to be followed in EXTREME cases e.g murder for self-defence

Question 17

who says ‘human beings have faculties more elevated than animal appetites’

Answer 17

Mill

Question 18

what is Mill’s principle of utlity

Answer 18

1. happiness is desirable
2. happiness is only thing desirable as an end in itself
3. general happiness of others in desirable (make others happy increases your happiness)

Question 19

who says
‘nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters: pain and pleasure’

Answer 19

Bentham

in his book ‘introduction to principles of morals and legislation’

Question 20

give examples against
‘all pleasure is good’

‘all pain is bad’

Answer 20

• someone may find pleasure in killing- but is bad action
• childbirth is pain but is a good action