Utilitarianism

• Born into a wealthy family
• Child prodigy
• Was a political philosopher and a political radical 
• Was concerned with social conditions, especially that of public morality

-Utilitarianism is a teleological theory behind the justification 'for the greater good'

-Looks at the consequences to decide whether an action is right or wrong; consequentialist theory

-The end justifies the means- the rightness of an action is judged by the end it produces. A choice that results in a good end is a morally better choice than a choice that results in a bad end.

-The choices you make should be based on the number of people it makes happiest.

-Hedonic Calculus: a means of measuring pleasure in each unique moral situation by considering seven factors:

• purity
• remoteness
• extent
• duration
• intensity
• certainty
• fecundity

-By using these criteria, Benthem argued that it was possible to work out the right course of action in any situation

GOOD:

-allows one to calculate happiness to a degree

-allows one to reach a moral decision quickly

BAD:

-Don't always have time to work it out

-Some things cannot be reduced to happiness/pleasure

-Allows the minority to suffer

-subjective; cant boil pleasure down to a quantitative amount

-the answer given isn't always moral

• English philosopher
• Was abused as a child

-We should follow the RULES that produce the most happiness

-Decided to focus on the quality of happiness and pleasure, rather than the quantity like Benthem. Choices should be made on the effect and quality of happiness it produces.

-The choices you make should be based on the number of people it makes happiest, within the laws of the land

-Higher and Lower pleasures:

• Higher pleasures were that of intellect and worked to stimulate the mind or develop one's own intellect. EG, Mill would argue reading philosophy or poetry was 'higher pleasures'
• Lower pleasures were that of pure physical desire, such as sex or eating. Considered inferior because they did nothing to develop intellect or the quality of an individual.

'It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; it is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied'

WOULD ALLOW:

Act: the number of people feeling saved or feeling the comfort of having the protection of the nuclear deterrence would be of a large quantity (if that was how the majority felt)

Rule: similar to above, the number of people feeling the safety of having protection (if this is the majorities feelings) would be large. ALSO, having hold of nuclear deterrence does not go against the laws of the land, it is only by using them that they go against the law

WOULD NOT ALLOW

Act: the majority of people who feel under threat from a country wielding nuclear deterrence could suggest that act utilitarianism would not allow it

Rule: Same as above