RS a level ETHICS - act utilitarianism

key terms and evaluative points

who proposed act utilitarianism

Bentham

who proposed rule utilitarianism

Mill

define teleological

focused on outcomes

define realist ethics

ethics exists outside of human creation

define hedonism

humanity is motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain

what does the principle of utility suggest

good actions are ones that are useful in finding pleasure and avoiding pain

the 3 most important and easy to criticize aspects of the hedonic calculus (IMO)

certainty, fecundity, extent

what kind of pleasure is not allowed in act utilitarianism

selfish pleasure

give 2 anecdotal examples which can be used to evaluate act utilitarianism

Jim and the Indians, trolley problem

give 4 criticisms of act utilitarianism

hedonic calculus impractical to follow, could justify any action, does now allow for personal feelings, minorities uncared for

Which short story criticizes act utilitarianism?

‘The ones who walk away from Omelas’ by Ursula Le Guin

Give a case study example which can be used to evaluate relativist ethics

2004 Pitcairn Island case

quote from Bentham on hedonism

“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure”

criticism of hedonistic ethics

cannot derive an ought from an is: naturalistic fallacy

how does Bentham suggest we can predict pleasure and use this to make right actions

an action is right regarding “the tendency which it appears to have” to maximise happiness based on reasonable expectation

what are the spec points for utilitarianism

utility, hedonic calculus, act, rule

quote from Bentham on the idea of human life having inherent rights

“nonsense on stilts”