bentham’s utilitarianism

who is accepted as the originator of modern utilitarianism?

jeremy bentham

who can the basis of the utilitarianism ethic be traced back to?

ancient greek philosophers like aristotle

what did aristotle believe the main aim of all moral agents was?

the pursuit of happiness

why did bentham want to develop an ethical theory that promoted actions which would benefit the majority of people in society?

because he was a social reformer (particularly prison reform)

what can utilitarianism be seen as within the 19th century?

a 19th century rebellion against strict deontological religious ethics: like natural law

what era is utilitarianism a part of?

the enlightenment era of the 19th century

enlightenment era of the 19th century

it turned western culture away from a basis in god/religion to a more secular culture

what are the 2 developers of utilitarianism?

jeremy bentham (1748-1832) and john stuart mill (1806-1873)

what was bentham’s starting point for utilitarianism?

his belief that everyone wanted to be happy

what was happiness for bentham?

the supreme ethical value or what he called the ‘sovereign good’

why did bentham believe that happiness was the ‘sovereign good’?

because it is good for people to be happy

bentham’s statement regarding happiness as the sovereign good

‘when happiness is present, we have everything: but when it is absent, we do everything to possess it’

what did bentham say that shows his very specific understanding of happiness?

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

what did bentham mean when he said ‘nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters: pain and pleasure’?

that psychologically humanity is motivated by only two things

what did bentham believe were the only two things that psychologically humanity is motivated by

the avoidance of pain and the desire for pleasure

what is the desire for pleasure known as?

psychological hedonism

what did bentham believe happiness is only derived from?

seeking pleasure and avoiding pain

what did bentham argue that pleasure is?

the only good

how did bentham figure out if actions are right?

if they produce an outcome of pleasure or avoid pain, they must be right

what did bentham say about pleasure and pain?

‘pleasure and pain alone point out what we ought to do’

what kind of utilitarianism did bentham create?

act utilitarianism

what approach did bentham’s act utilitarianism take?

a teleological approach

what is the one guiding principle of bentham’s act utilitarianism?

the ‘principle of utility’

where does the term ‘utility’ come from?

the french word meaning ‘utilite’ meaning usefulness

what phrase did bentham claim the ‘principle of utility’ was based on?

‘the greatest happiness of the greatest number’

who stated ‘the greatest happiness of the greatest number’ ?

joseph priestley (1733-1804)

what did bentham say regarding priestley?

‘priestley was the first who taught my lips to pronounce the sacred truth: that the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals.’

what statement is the ‘principle of utility’ heavily based upon?

priestley’s statement

what does the principle of utility state on a basic level?

an action is right if it promotes and maximises happiness

what was bentham’s statement regarding the principle of utility?

‘by the principle of utility is meant that principle which approves or disapproves of an action on whether an action augments or diminishes happiness.’

what does the principle of utility mean on a slightly more sophisticated level?

that the morality of any action should be judged on whether it promoted a balance of pleasure over pain

what are good/right actions according to bentham’s act utilitarianism?

actions whose outcome creates more pleasure than pain (creates happiness)

what are bad/wrong actions according to bentham’s act utilitarianism?

actions whose outcomes create more pain than pleasure (creates unhappiness)

what did bentham state about creating happiness and removing misery?

‘create all happiness you are able to create; remove all the misery you are able to remove’

what is the hedonic calculus?

how the principle of utility is calculated i.e. the amount of pleasure and pain an action outcome will create could be calculated

how many factors make up the hedonic calculus?

7

what is the hedonic calculus also known as?

the felicific calculus or the pleasure calculus

intensity

how intense will the happiness be, the more intense the better

duration

how long the happiness will last, the longer the better

certainty

how likely will the happiness happen, the more certain we are the pleasure will occur, the better

propinquity

how long will it take for the happiness to occur, the present is better as opposed to looking forward to a pleasure

richness (fecundity)

the more chances the pleasure will be repeated or will result in other different pleasures the better

purity

actions that bring around a constant experience of pleasure rather than pain i.e. that creates the least amount of pain

extent

the more people who experience the pleasure the better, especially as a shared pleasure can further enhance the impact of the original pleasure

how does the hedonic calculus work?

by comparing the different balances of pain and pleasure each potential action has, a moral agent would then choose the option that had the biggest different between pleasure and pain 

do each of the 7 criteria of the hedonic calculus have equal value?

yes

is the number of people affected important?

yes, but it is only one of the seven criteria (extent). however, of the other six criteria favour positively affecting a smaller number of people, then the nigger number of people (extent) can be ignored

is act utilitarianism stating that we should do the action that creates the most pleasure?

no, it states that we should do the action that creates the biggest difference between pleasure and pain