hare n singer: preference utilitarianism
“Treat others how you’d want to be treated, which means respecting their preferences.”
preference utilitarianism: a contemporary form of the theory that is neither hedonistic or libertarian. it instead centres on the most preferable outcome for all persons involved
key scholars:
r.m. hare
peter singer
preference utilitarians consider whether a decision is right/wrong by asking whether it fits in with what ppl would rationally prefer
singer was concerned about minorities and felt all minorities n individuals should be taken into account when considering what is best for everyone
actions should be taken based on the best interests of the greatest number, rather than calculating pleasure against pain
singer: minimising suffering, over maximising pleasure » more agreement about what causes pain than what gives one pleasure
a preference utilitarian judges actions by individual preferences.
they ask, 'what outcome do i prefer?' and 'what is in the best interests of those concerned?'
the principle of utility is followed, considering all conscious beings' preferences.
more satisfied preferences lead to a better outcome.
peter singer:
peter singer defends preference utilitarianism with an impartial spectator viewpoint.
he argues our preferences are equal to others' and all affected must be considered.
actions should be chosen for the best possible consequences for those affected.
for singer, best consequences mean what's in individuals' best interests, not just increasing pleasure or reducing pain.
singer's principle of equal consideration weighs everyone's preferences equally.
killing someone who prefers to live is wrong; not killing someone who prefers to die is also wrong.
singer values preferences over human life, including animals within moral obligations.
animals with preferences, like social interaction and avoiding pain, are considered morally.
evaluation (singer):
term | eval |
|---|---|
Preferences: “I approach each issue by seeking the solution that has the best consequences for all affected… that which satisfies the most preferences, weighted in accordance with the strength of the preferences.” | in many ways, an improvement on earlier forms of Utilitarianism, as people often choose things that don’t make them happy. However, it is not clear how to weight one preference against another, and fulfilled preferences are even harder to add up than pleasure and pain. |
Interests: Most animals cannot have preferences, so we should act in accordance with their interests. If you ignore the interests of animals (e.g. by eating factory-farmed meat), you are being speciesist. | It’s not always clear how to give ‘equal consideration’ to animals. Can I still kill and eat a chicken as long as it lived a good life? However, Singer’s views transformed society in the 1970s, and gave a rational justification to animal rights protestors |
well