Utilitarianism

Meta-ethics

Concerned with certain formal questions about or features of morality.

Applied ethics

Addresses the moral permissibility of specific actions and practices

Normative ethics

The reasoned construction of moral principles. It is concerned with theories outlining the most basic goods, virtues or principles of right

Utilitarianism

A normative ethical theory. It tries to get a fundamental principle of what is right and wrong

Deontological

Account basic moral rules prescribing right acts, proscribing wrong acts. Focuses on the inherent nature of acts; on their falling into moral kinds (obligatory/forbidden/permitted) which are fixed by a set of rules

Virtues

Account of human excellences/virtues of the morally noble person. Morally right acts are ones done by a certain kind of person

Consequentialist

Account desirable results flowing from acts. Focus is on achieving maximum of these desirable results. We must determine the consequences of an act and see if these are desirable.

Utility

The state of being useful, profitable or beneficial

Jeremy Bentham Quote

“That property in any object, whereby it tends to produce benefit, advantage, pleasure, good, or happiness or to prevent the happening of mischief, pain, evil or unhappiness”

Hedonism

The ethical theory that pleasure is the highest good and proper aim of human life.

Fecundity

Abundance

Alturiss

Giving the greatest amount of happiness to the biggest number of people

Problems with classic utilitarianism

• How to weigh up the greatest happiness?

• Can pleasure be weighed? Surely it is subjective

J Bentham

• Principle of Utility

• Everyone has an equal right to happiness

• Hedonic calculus

Principle of Utility

An action is judged good or bad according to the results that it achieved

Hedonic calculus

A method of working out the sum of the total pleasure and pain produced by and act and the total value of its consequences

How Hedonic calculus is measured

1. It’s duration - how long will it last

2. It’s intensity - how intense is it

3. Propinquity - how near, immediate, certain or remote it is

4. Purity - how free from pain is the benefit

5. Fecundity - whether or not it is likely to lead to more happiness

6. Certainty - how probable it is

7. Extent - how widely it covers

Criticism of hedonic views

Murderers can take pleasure in killing people and the pain produced by their actions also has to be considered

Act utilitarianism

Where what is right is based on assessing the results of particular actions.

Principle of Utility

The greatest good for the greatest number

Benevolent

Having no self-interest in something.

Impartial

No bias towards something

Rule utilitarianism

Takes into account the general benefit in people following general rules

Autonomy

Free will

Strong rule utilitarianism

Holds that one should never break a rule that is established on utilitarianism principles

Weak rule utilitarianism

There may be situations when the assessment of the results of a particular act may take precedence over the general rule

Stages of utilitarianism

• 1st stage: refers acts to rules

• 2nd stage: validate the rules by reference to a principle of Utility.

Categorical imperative

• Universal principle for all autonomous agents without contradiction

• Not using someone else in order to increase someone else's happiness

Autonomous

Acting upon free will

Preference utilitarianism

Judges moral actions depending on whether they fit in with an individuals preference

Negative utilitarianism

Popper- it is better to minimise suffering than it is to minimise pleasure

Ideal utilitarianism

Aesthetic experiences + relations of friendship that have intrinsic value, bad things should be prevented.

Strengths of Rule utilitarianism

• Avoids the need for the hedonic calculus with the simple, singular principle that people should follow the previously established laws

• Emphasises the importance of protecting people in society through the moral system that prioritises fairness for everyone

Weaknesses of rule utilitarianism

• Subjective - used to people’s advantage in order to justify wrong acts

• Mill’s conclusion of higher and lower pleasures can be elitist as richer people enjoy higher pleasures and we need the lower pleasures to survive

Strengths of Act utilitarianism

• Focuses on the outcome on the situation and aims to get the best result for the greatest number of people

• Uses the hedonic calculus - used to measure aspects of pleasure to decide whether an action is considered right or wrong

Weaknesses of Act utilitarianism

• It is not possible to quantify someone’s happiness - Listing the elements of pleasure does not change the fact that it is impossible to quantify

• Hedonic calculus can become a reason to justify immoral acts

Strengths of preference utilitarianism

• Does not require any calculations to figure out the morally best thing to do - focuses on what is best for everyone personally

• Flexible - can be applied to a wide range of desires/happiness

Weakness of preference utilitarianism

• Certain personal preferences can lead to immorality - certain individuals can have a preference for a cruelty of others

• Heavily relies on preference - does not evaluate the moral outcomes/value of actions

Strengths of negative utilitarianism

• Better to reduce pain than to increase pleasure by the same amount

• Easier to remove harm than to increase happiness - we do not require a large amount of happiness in order to survive