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Description
Flashcards by Maisha Bongo, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Maisha Bongo
almost 9 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| What is Utilitarianism? - Utilitarianism is an ethical theory behind justifications. - U. is a teleological theory of ethics, the opposite of deontological ethical theories (based on moral rules, whether the action is right/wrong) | - Teleological theories look at the consequences of an action. Whether is it right or wrong. - Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory. |
| - Theory of U. began w/ J. Bentham -> a way of working out how good/bad consequence of an action would be. - Bentham: concerned w/ social and legal reform & he wanted to develop an ethical theory which established whether something was good/bad -> benefit for the majority of the people. | - Called the principle of utility. - p.o.u: often expressed as 'the greatest good of the greatest number' - 'good' -> pleasure of happiness. - an act is right/wrong according to the good/bad that results from the act and the good act is most pleasurable. |
| - greater number -> B's theory is quantitative. - J. Bentham developed his system around the idea of pleasure -> based on ancient Hedonism (Hedonism pursued physical pleasure and pain) | - most moral acts max. pleasure and min. pain. <- called the 'utilitarian calculus'. |
| The origins of Hedonism - idea of 'good' is defined in terms of pleasure & happiness -> makes u. a hedonistic theory. - Greek philosophers - eudaimonia - 'well-being'. - Plato & Aristotle agreed: 'good' = the greatest happiness. | - Epicureans stressed 'pleasure' as main aim of life. - ultimate end of human desires + actions (Aristotle thought) = happiness through pleasure, but not the chief aim of life. - Pleasure not the same as happiness. |
| Pain vs. pleasure - Bentham said "the p.o.u aims to promote happiness -> the supreme ethical value. - Nature placed us under the governance of two sovereign masters: pain & pleasure. - An act is right if it delivers more pleasure than pain. | - Happiness = pleasure - pain. |
| The hedonic calculus - Bentham provided a way of measuring good and bad: The hedonic calculus. - it has seven elements: 1. intensity of pleasure (how deep) 2. duration of the pleasure caused (how long) | 3. certainty of the pleasure (how certain/uncertain) 4. remoteness of the pleasure (how near/far) 5. chance of a succession of pleasures (how continuous) 6. purity of the pleasure (how secure) |
| 7. extent of the pleasure (how universal) - The calculus gave Bentham a method of testing whether an action is morally right -> if it was good it would have the most pleasurable outcome. - Whatever is good/bad can be measured in a quantitative way. | - B's U. is a universal hedonism - highest good is greatest happiness for the greatest number. - Actions judged as a means to an end. -What is right, calculated to bring about the greatest balance of good over evil -> evil is defined as pleasure/happiness. B's view is described as Act Utilitarianism |
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