Utilitarianism

What is the name of the theory that Bentham creates?

Act utilitarianism

What was the context during the time of Bentham? (how did his theory come about?)

Industrial revolution - majority were suffering in poverty

What does Bentham say about human nature?

People seek pleasure + avoid pain

‘nature has placed man under the governance of 2 sovereign matters, pain and pleasure’ - Bentham

Bentham’s stance on human rights?

No such thing as intrinsic human rights

‘natural rights is simple nonsense, nonsense on stilts’

human rights only exist if they create utility

Are the terms good and pleasure interchangeable?

Yes..

What type of theory is utilitarianism?

Teleological: focused upon end goal, as opposed to the moral theory itself

Consequentialist: Focuses on the outcomes of a moral judgement

Briefly explain the principle of utility

Seek always the greatest balance of good over evil

• The definition of utility is usefulness. So the utility principle analyses the usefulness of the actions.

Briefly explain the hedonic calculus (how many factors are there? name 2)

Measures how much (quantity) of pleasure or pain produced by an action.  This is a way of calculating the amount of pleasure or pain that any action will produce through the seven factors

e.g. extent: how many people will be affected?

certainty: how certain is it that pleasure will be the consequence?

Criticisms of the hedonic calculus?

• Can justify any action

• hedonic calculus is too complex + takes a long time

• Too simplistic an understanding of pleasure

What is the name of the philosopher who builds upon Bentham’s theory? And what is his theory called?

J.S Mill - writes in ‘On Liberty’

Rule utilitarianism

What is the main reason for Mill developing rule utilitarianism?

Act utilitarianism can justify morally questionable actions if they produce the greatest happiness in a specific situation

Leads to moral instability + lack of trust in social rules. People might fear others could justify harm in the name of utility.

What are higher + lower pleasures and why did Mill come up with them?

• Mill believed that Bentham's hedonistic understanding of human nature was too simplistic.

• He also recognised that the result of this simplification of human nature had led to a theory that could justify any action.

Instead of the hedonic calculus, Mill came up with higher + lower pleasures - measured pleasure qualitatively (what kind of pleasure)

Give some examples of both higher + lower pleasures

Higher: Art, music, poetry

Lower: Eating, drinking, the warmth of a fire

Higher pleasures are intellectual

Lower pleasures are sensory

What did Mill famously say when he was talking about pleasures?

‘It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied’

What did Mill say we should do if there is debate about whether a pleasure is higher or lower?

A ‘competent judge’ should decide - this is someone who has knowledge of both things

Who’s understanding of pleasure is Mill’s reminiscent of?

Aristotle’s idea of eudaimonia - more than just gratification - included well-being, living well, being fulfilled

What is rule utilitarianism?

Since hedonic calculus = unwieldy + complicated, Mill suggested that we should follow the rule that will lead to the greatest balance of good over evil.

E.g. the parent can tell their child not to lie, or steal or play on the railway track because if everyone follows these rules, we are all generally better off

What is Mill’s harm principle?

An individual’s liberty should only be restricted to prevent harm to others — not to protect them from their own actions.

E.g.  some people will kill themselves with drugs or poisons = insignificant compared with letting individuals be as free as possible. Individuals in these cases are used as means to the end of the protection of liberty.

Think of some challenges to do with the harm principle

• How do we classify harm? e.g. selling drugs could be seen as a harmful act

• At what point is there a moral responsibility to prevent someone from harming themself? e.g. drug addict

Is the pursuit of pleasure an appropriate moral gauge?

No - pleasure can be experienced as a result of doing moral harm/causing suffering.

e.g. a sadist feels pleasure when harming others = morally wrong (inflicting pain onto others)

Shows that pleasure doesn’t equal good

List some positives of Bentham’s theory (why it is useful for making moral decisions)

• Favours the majority

• Maximises pleasure

• Flexible - relative ethical theory

• Considers consequences

• Bentham’s idea of human nature seems sensible - we want to avoid pain

List some negatives of Bentham’s theory (why it is not useful for making moral decisions)

• There is a danger for any action to be morally justified e.g. sadism or torture - B. Williams - Jim and the Indians

• Pleasure and moral good aren’t interchangeable - this is a major gap in Bentham’s theory

• Doesn’t consider feelings/emotions

• Hedonic calculus is based on too narrow an understanding of pleasure

• Hedonic calculus is unwieldy + impractical

• We cannot predict the consequences of our actions

• Tyranny of the majority - minority are disregarded