ethics - rule utilitarianism (ao1)

who came up with this?

john stuart mill

what is good and bad in rule utilitarianism?

good=happiness

bad=suffering

swine ethic objection

‘it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be socrates unsatisfied than a fool satisfied’ 

higher pleasure vs lower pleasure

higher- intellectual and social pleasure that only humans can enjoy e.g., art, intellectual conversation.

lower- pleasures of the body that both humans and other creatures enjoy e.g., food, sex and sleep

-only those who can appreciate both types of pleasure are able to say which is better; a competent judge

weak vs strong rule utilitarianism

weak- rules should broadly lead to the greatest and should be followed, there are exceptional circumstances where expectations should be made 

strong- once the rules have been decided these rules are fixed and cant be broken 

no harm principle

no action or rule may result in the harm of others

nozick’s experience machine

1. we should not plug into the machine because we want to do things not just experience them

2. we want to be a particular, feeling person; floating in a tank would make us an indeterminate blob

3. we would find a world with no real contact repulsive as it lacks deeper significance

j.j.c smart 

taken to its logical conclusion, this would end up as act utilitarianism but just with rules for each very specific circumstance