Utilitarianism
- Created by: Emilyhowie123
- Created on: 23-03-16 15:06
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- Utilitarianism
- General Principle
- Utilitarianism is teleological/ consequential
- Based on the idea of right and wrong depending on the consequences
- Carried out using the hedonic calculus, requires thought and judgment
- Contrasts with deontological ethics such as Divine Command Theory
- Humanity is governed by pleasure and pain
- Actions are judged according to their Utility
- GHP - It is right if it generates the greatest good for the greatest number
- Each individual counts equally, both humans and animals should be taken into account
- Different approaches within Utilitarianism
- Bentham's Utilitarianism
- Argued that humanity is ruled by pleasure and pain
- Hedonic calculus consists of 7 factors
- 1) Intensity - Stronger happiness is better than weaker
- 3) Certainty - If pleasure is definite it's better than a posibility
- 2) Duration - Longer lasting pleasure is better than brief
- 4) Remoteness - More immediate in space and time is better
- 6) Purity - A pleasure mixed with no pain, is the greatest pleasure
- 7) Extent - The more people sharing the pleasure, the better
- 5) Richness - Pleasure that leads to further pleasure is better
- Focus on pleasure, measured by the hedonic calculus
- 'Quality of pleasure being equal, push-pin (a simple child's game) is as good as poetry'
- Believed all pleasures are on the same scale and therefore can be compared quantitively
- 'Pleasure is the sole good, pain is the sole evil'
- Mill's Utilitarianism
- Quality of happiness is important
- Higher pleasures have greater value - 'better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig'
- 'It is quite compatible with the principle of utility to recognise the fact that some kinds of pleasure are more desirable and more valuable than others'
- Utilitarianism's been referred to Eudaimonistic (concerned with human well-being)
- He agreed with the utility principle (GHP) but had an issue will the quantitative element
- Associated with Rule Utilitarianism
- Developed a system of higher (studying) and lower (eating) pleasures
- Focus on happiness
- Rule Utilitarianism
- Justified if it promotes the greatest happiness
- GHP is applied to create rules
- Mill allowed rules could be broken in exceptional circumstances
- Creating rules for societies as a whole to follow in order to create the greatest happiness
- Act Utiliterianism
- The hedonic calculus is used to calculate the consequences
- Each action is assessed individually
- GHP is applied to every individual act
- All actions are a means to and end
- The interest of the individuals are taken into account but sometimes not the minority is protected E.G) Gang ****
- No action is intrinsically right or wrong
- General Principle
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