RS a level ETHICS - act utilitarianism

key terms and evaluative points

who proposed act utilitarianism

Bentham

who proposed rule utilitarianism

Mill

define teleological

concerned with 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

5 of the 7 aspects of the hedonic calculus

certainty, fecundity, extent, duration, purity

what kind of pleasure is not allowed in act utilitarianism

selfish pleasure

give 3 anecdotal examples which can be used to evaluate act utilitarianism

Jim and the Indians, trolley problem, executing innocent man for public relief

give 4 criticisms of act utilitarianism

hedonic calculus impractical to follow

could justify any action

does not allow for personal feelings or moral convictions

does not gives humans intrinsic value

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

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”

define act utilitarianism

calculating the consequences of each situation on its own merits, attempting to maximise the amount of good over evil, or pleasure over pain

what is the hedonic calculus made up of

7 criteria creating an objective metric, based on the amount of pleasure and pain an action produces

quantifies “real” units of measurement in hedons (pleasure) and dolors (pain)

El Salvador as an analogy for how Act Utilitarianism may cause great harm

the president of El Salvador ordered the arrest and detainment of tens of thousands of gang members without trial to reduce homicide rates

how does Bernard Williams criticize act utulitarianism

alienates people from their integrity and moral convictions

quote form Bentham undermining altruism

“a man may pretend to abjure their empire”

people may pretend to be altruistic but only for the pleasure of doing so

quote from Bentham defining the principle of utility

“it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong”