Utilitarianism

What is Act Utilitarianism?

We should act so as to maximise pleasure and minimise pain in each specific instance

What is Rule Utilitarianism?

We should follow general rules that maximise pleasure and minimise pain, even if following these rules doesn’t maximise pleasure in every specific instance

What is Preference Utilitarianism?

We should act to maximise people’s preferences, even if these preferences do not maximise pleasure and minimise pain

What are the three claims of Act Utilitarianism?

Whether an action is right/good or wrong/bad depends solely on its consequences

The only thing that is good is happiness

No individual’s happiness is more important than anyone else’s

Why is Act Utilitarianism also known as quantitative utilitarianism?

Because act utilitarians quantify happiness using the Hedonic Calculus

What are the seven variables of the Hedonic Calculus?

Intensity - How strong the pleasure is

Duration - How long the pleasure lasts

Certainty - How likely the pleasure is to occur

Propinquity - How soon the pleasure will occur

Fecundity - How likely the pleasure will lead to more pleasure

Purity - How likely the pleasure will lead to pain

Extent - The number of people affected

What are the problems with the Hedonic Calculus?

Difficult to calculate

You cannot predict the future consequences of your action often

It is impossible to objectively quantify each variable

It is very difficult to compare the variables

Which beings are included in the calculation?

What is Bentham’s response to critics of Act Utilitarianism?

It is more a general guide to be, ‘Kept in view’ rather than something that has to be worked out precisely at each event

What is tyranny of the majority in Act Utilitarianism?

E.g. If 100 people get 1 unit of pleasure from seeing an innocent person tortured, and the tortured person suffered 20 units of pain, utilitarianism would say this is good

How does Act Utilitarianism respond to the moral status of particular relationships?

Act utilitarianism is only concerned with the greatest good for the greatest number, as all pleasures are equal

Thus, close relationships are irrelevant

What is the relationship between Act Utilitarianism and intentions?

Intentions are irrelevant in Act Utilitarianism

What is the criticism of higher and lower pleasures in Act Utilitarianism?

Stating that all pleasures are equal could turn Act Utilitarianism into a ‘doctrine of swine’

J.S. Mill, on the other hand, states that those who have experienced higher pleasures always prefer them to the lower pleasures

What is Robert Nozick’s experience machine?

Imagine you could be plugged into a virtual reality machine that simulates the experience of a perfect life. Once plugged in, you believe your perfect life is completely real.

Act Utilitarians should plug in, but many would prefer not to

What is Rule Utilitarianism?

Focuses on consequences of general rules rather than specific actions

Rules are deemed right or wrong depending on whether they increase happiness

How does Rule Utilitarianism provide a response to the tyranny of the majority?

Although there may be an instance in which punishing an innocent man leads to greater happiness, in general, punishing innocent people leads to more unhappiness

What is the problem with Strong Rule Utilitarianism?

May lose sight of the whole point of utilitarianism, which is to increase happiness

E.g. If there was a rule such as, ‘Don’t lie,’ then you would be forced not to lie even if lying would save everyone on Earth

What is the problem with Weak Rule Utilitarianism?

If you would break a law to increase happiness, how is this different from Act Utilitarianism

We could thus return back to tyranny of the majority

What is preference utilitarianism?

A non-hedonistic form of utilitarianism

Instead of maximising happiness, we should act to maximise people’s preferences

How does preference utilitarianism respond to Nozick’s Experience Machine?

Instead of adhering to act and saying that it would be best for everyone, preference utilitarianism can reject this

How does preference utilitarianism respond to higher and lower pleasures?

We prefer higher pleasures to lower pleasures

What is an objection to preference utilitarianism?

What if someone has a stupid or evil preference?