Act utilitarianism

Who created act utilitarianism

Jeramy Bentham

Summarise act utilitarianism

Whether something is right or wrong is based on its consequence

The only thing that is good is happiness

No ones happiness is more important than anyone else's

What is the principle of utility

The idea that we should seek to maximise pleasure and minimise pain for the majority of people

What type of theory is utilitarianism

Consequentialist - moral worth determined by outcome

quantitive - about quantifying happiness, adding up all the happiness and subtracting the pain

What is the hedonic calculus

Criteria for pursing pleasure

Used in the appropriate proportions, fulfilling the criteria would give the best moral outcome

a good moral outcome has been achieved if the amount of pleasure is more than pain

What is the hedonic calculus criteria

intensity, duration, certainty, extent, remoteness, richness, purity

Name 4 criticisms for act utilitarianism

calculation, predicting the future, tyranny of the majority, ignores preferences

Elaborate the tyranny of the majority

some things are wrong regardless of the consequence, what may cause maximum happiness for a large group of people isn't alway moral

(sadist example)

What is a response to the tyranny of the majority

Rule utilitarianism - provides general rules that often maximise pleasure

Elaborate act utilitarianism being difficult to calculate

Hedonic calculus is irrationally complicated to calculate every time one must make a decision

How do you quantify and compare the variables? How can you decide between a long lasting dull pleasure or a short lived intense one?

Elaborate predicting the future

How can you know how intense a pleasure will be in the first place etc

Elaborate on ignoring preferences

In some situations we might prefer something even if it makes us less happy or not to do something even if it might make us more happy

(e.g Nozicks experience machine) shows a problem with Bentham and Mills hedonism - idea that only happiness and pleasure are the only things of value

What is a response to ignoring preferences

Preference utilitarianism