OBJECTIONS TO ACT Utilitarianism

first 2 objections (quick and weak) structure it as RICE

R: Utility means whats useful not what is pleasurable, therefore it misses the value of pleasure.

I: You misunderstand the principle, this is because FIRSTLY actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness. SECONDLY, happiness is intended pleasure and absence of pain. THIRDLY, pleasure and freedom from pain are the only things desirable as ends.

C: If we pursue pleasure as the end we desire, then utilitarianism will lead to people sacrificing moral principles for expedient immoral actions.

E: Utilitarianism condemns expedient actions that sacrifices the greater happiness of people generally. The fact that this is a short-term show that this is condemned as the ‘extent’ measured in the felicific calculus shows it is insufficient to be a morally right action.

what does expedient mean and give an example

it means what is in the person’s own interest and it is usualy short-term interest e.g. someone lying to get out of a tricky situation

mill says it’s better to be a dissatisfied Socrates than…

satisfied pig

if mill is qualitative than quantitative, then what does he reject of bentham

felicific calculus

weak Objection 1, reply, counterargument, evaluation

R: Bentham’s Act Utilitarianism degrades humans into only wanting and valuing happiness. This is not always the end everyone strives for or values over other things. Bentham says push-pin (child’s game) is as good as poetry because his normative ethical theory is quantitative, but this is not realistic of the way humans measure the value things.

I: Mill says, Bentham misunderstands the value of nature. He introduces the distinction between higher & lower pleasures. We would know this through asking people who have experienced both.

C: This is unrealistic for people, because not everyone is in a socially or economically stable stance to access those higher pleasures like poetry over chocolate

I : Mill says, as long as our physical needs are met, people will continue to prefer higher pleasures than lower pleasures (… then elaborate). It is better to be Socrates than a dissatisfied pig.

C: But if Mill’s prediction here is wrong, if people choose chocolate over poetry then we can object to Mill’s arguments- choosing is not the same as valuing.

E: Mill says this is not a strong objection, there’s a difference between preference and action, out of laziness or other factors we choose things but we still know they are less valuable, we just prefer what we chose because it is more accessible while higher pleasures demand more of us to seek it (more work/time).

objection 2 to act utilitarianism

pleasure it not the only good (attacked 2nd hedonistic claim of act uti)

objection2, issue, counterargument, Evaluation

R: Hedonistic claim is insufficient, Smart’s discussion about this mentions G.E Moore who thought other states of mind: knowledge, is good.

I: Bentham could reply that we dont prefer higher pleasures because of their quality but because they are more fecund (likely to produce MORE pleasure in the long term), besides, these are just ingredients for happiness.

C: humans are intellectual beings so we do prefer pleasures of imagination and thought, explain the computer machine analogy, we wanna achieve things in life, better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. Compared to Mill, it is not about the quality but our own attitude so when you say your happy your approving of your pleasure.

E: Therefore, because we prefer certain pleasures over others even when when it is not fecund as perhaps pain may be produced with it too, hedonistic claim is wrong. Pleasure is not the only good.

what is the experience machine analogy by Nozick about pleasure, what is it an objection to, what does it mean

someone being wired up to electrodes in his brain in a virtual reality machine for life replicating reality but with more intense pleasure than pain.

this shows we do not only value pleasure, we want to achieve things in life because most people would not want to be plugged in for life. We value staying in contact with reality not just a psychological state.

this is an objection to pure hedonism: that pleasure is the only good

explain fully (like a 5 marker) the idea of a sadist and what smart replies

A sadist is a person who finds delight in imagining the torture of a group of people, he gains pleasure from this.

Smart defends the hedonist position by saying that it is good he is happy while no one, in reality, is suffering. While it is true that such thinking leads to actual suffering and morally bad consequences, no pleasure is intrinsically bad as long as it actually does not cause pain.

outline preference utilitarianism and their aims

A form of non-hedonistic utilitarianism and argues what we should maximise is not pleasure but rather people’s preferences (desires)

give me 3 arguments FOR preference utilitarianism

1. As shown by Nozick, people prefer to be in touch with reality = this is preference satisfied because it is satisfied in reality not a virtual reality.

2. To explain Mill’s distinction of higher and lower pleasures, whatever people prefer is of more value to them whether it is related to thought/imagination or not

3. Mill and Bentham do not distinguish between producing happiness and diminishing pain, some would rather prefer less pain but that does not necessarily mean pleasure e.g. what people prefer about what happens after death like their possessions or to be cremated.

explain the distinction between Smart's, Preference Uti, and Mill’s account of happiness (1 sentence each)

1. Smart thinks happiness is good in terms of those pleasure we approve of

2. Preference thinks happiness is good in terms of satisfying one’s desires

3. Mill thinks happiness is good in terms of their quality which people choose higher pleasures of thought and imagination

what is an issue of Smart’s understanding of happiness in terms of people’s approvals of certain pleasures. What does preference utilitarianism state about this

people dont just simply approve or disapprove of certain pleasures. Preference states that what is good is maximising the satisfaction of people’s preferences, people prefer certain pleasures over others and that is sufficient.