What is utilitarianism rooted in?
– Hedonism of the Ancient Greeks
- Hedonism claims that human behaviour is determined by seeking pleasure and avoiding pain
How does utilitarianism differ from hedonism?
Utilitarianism concerns the pleasure of the whole of society, not just an individual
What does Bentham care about?
– If something can feel pleasure or pain
When does Bentham say an action is good?
If it has more pleasure than pain
How does Bentham work out how much pleasure there is, use the acronym?
HEDONIC CALCULUS
- Purity (pure pleasure?)
- Remoteness (how close it is)
- Extent
- Duration
- Intensity
- Certainty
- To be followed by (how continuous the pleasure is)
Name the problem with the hedonic calculus
It’s time consuming
Name the strengths of Bentham’s utilitarianism
– provide a clear mathematical method
– It’s popular in ethics
– Involves common sense
– It doesn’t rely on outdated religious codes
– It looks at the consequences of the action (a natural human trait)
How does mill criticise Bentham?
– He calls his theory animalistic
– What pleasures some, pains others
– People don’t always seek pleasure
– Minority groups are easily harmed
- says he commit the naturalistic fallacy, saying something is good just because it feels good
– His theory requires an accurate prediction of consequences which isn’t always possible as you don’t know what will happen in the future
– The hedonic calculus is time-consuming
Name Mills quotes, suggesting that Bentham’s theory is animalistic
– ‘It’s better to be a human being satisfied than a pig satisfied’
– ‘A doctrine fit for swine’
How does Bentham reply to Mills suggestion that his theory is animalistic?
He says ‘all things being equal, pushpin (a game) is equal to poetry’
He doesn’t care how you get pleasure, only that you get it
What does mill say about bodily pleasure?
It is a little more than animal instincts for example sex, food, drink, animals want these as well as humans
How else does mill criticise Bentham?
He says what is pleasurable for one is not for another, it may even be painful
How does Mills utilitarianism differentiate from Benthams?
He develops his qualitative utilitarianism
- There’s one change, it’s qualitive
- to determine this he splits pleasure into higher (mind) and lower (body) but he suggests that higher is the best. It’s more valuable.
What type of value do Mill and Bentham say pleasure has?
Intrinsic value -
What is Bentham’s act utilitarianism?
An action is right if it produces the greatest amount of happiness (pleasure) for the greatest number of people.
What is Mills rule utilitarianism and why did he create it?
We should follow moral rules that, if everyone followed them, would bring about the most happiness for the most people. What if everyone lied whenever it made someone happy?” → people would stop trusting each other, so follow the rule “Don’t lie.”
He said Bentham Act Utalitarianism could justify unmoral actions (e.g. lying, stealing) if they made people happy.
Mill wanted utilitarianism to be more moral and consistent - not just about quick pleasure.
What do people question about rule utilitarianism?
If it is even utilitarianism because it’s no longer relative as it incorporated absolute rules (always tell the truth)
What are the strengths of Mills rule utilitarianism?
– It’s quicker and easier
– It protects minorities
What are the weaknesses of mills rule utilitarianism?
– It could be seen as incorrect as it sometimes more pleasurable to lie
– It’s inflexible
– It’s questioned if it’s even utilitarianism
What’s Mills quote about his harm principle?
Your freedom to punch me ends where my nose begins
- you can do anything as long as it harms no one
What’s hedonistic utilitarianism?
Bentham
The morally right action is the one that produces the greatest amount of pleasure for the greatest number of people.
What does Peter Singer’s preference utilitarianism judge?
– It judges moral actions on the preferences of individuals. It’s not about what gives you pleasure but satisfying preferences.
-he says we should stand in someone else’s shoes to try and imagine what they would prefer and have no bias
What are the strengths of preference utilitarianism?
– It’s easier to take into account to preferences as people can clearly state what their preferences are
– it takes into account when preferences might not be happiness but something else considered more valuable, such as a person’s preference for justice
What are the weaknesses of preference utilitarianism?
– we don’t recognise the preferences of certain individuals such as the wish of terminally ill people to die
– Some people may not be able to rest their preferences – the disabled
