Utilitarianism

Theory of Utility

The most useful end is seena s that which being the maximum levels of happiness of pleasure - therefore actions that produce the most happiness for all are seen as the best course of action eg good moral actions -  known as the greatest happiness principle

Everyone should do the most useful thing - the actions that rseult in the maximum levels of pleasure

Bethan was a social reformer and wanted an ethical theory that promoted actions that would benefit people, he was a barrister

Happiness was the supreme ethical value of 'soverign good'

Hedonism - the right is pleasure - Telelogical - rule and guiding principle - priniple of utility

'when happiness is present, we have everything but when it is absent we do everything to possess it' - Epicurus-- 'Pain and pleasure. it is for them alone to point out what we ought to do as well as to determine what we shall do' - Bentham

'the quantity of pleasure being equal, push pin is as good as poetry' - Bethnam

Measure of happiness is what decides what is right - way to calculate what makes the most pleasure and least pain

Intensity, Duration, Ceratainity, Ectent, Propinquity, Richness, Purity

'if pains must come, ley them extend to a few'

'Create all the happiness you are able to create; remove lall the misery you are able to remove'

Telelgoical - edn goal is always happiness

consequentialist - something is right or wrong based on the consequences

previous experences did not always help us make moral choices

strong form - in each situation the calculus should be applied

relativistic theory - no universal moral normas or rules

to be an act utiliarian he did not claim that iwas necessary to calculate the rightness and wrongness of every act

Former student of Bentham

Criticised Bentham for trying to measure pleasure in quantitve terms - also raised the question of what exactly pleasure is

Eudaimonia- comes form Aristotles wrighting

Not all pleasure is the same - higher and lower pleasures

'over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is soverign' - Mill

higher pleasure more satisfying - only peolpe could achieve - people do not always choose higher pleasure but this was because they didn't experience both - hgihger pleasures intellicent like phiolosphy or peotry

Lower pleasure are inferior pleasures of the body - must be satisfyed - basic requirement but not good to soley focus on them - Quality over Quantity of happiness

'it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig staisfied; better to be socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied' - Mill

Happiness is desirable as we all desire it, hapiness is the only thign desirable as an end, since things are only desirable because they birng about happiness, therefore everyone ought to aim at the happiness of everyone as increasing the general hpainess will increase my hapiness

put the interests of the group before their own interest - bethnam's principle did not have any concept of the greater good

Harm Principle

'the only purpose for which power can be rightfully excerised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prvent harms to others'

minimise harm

Previous experiences did help yp make decisions

Rules are universal in nature and they would  lead to the greatest happiness of the greatest number

moral actions conform to the ruels that leaed to the greatest good

strong rule claims that an action is only right if it follows the rules

a weak rule utilitarian would argues for more flexibility - do not kill might have to vroken

Mill thought that the rules acted as a guide line and were good for saving time

deontological and teleologcial hybrid