Utilitarianism

Who came up with the idea of Act Utilitarianism?

Jeremy Bentham

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What kind of theory is Act Utilitarianism?

Teleological, Relativistic and Consequentialist

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Why is Act Utilitarianism Relativistic?

The rules of Act Utilitarianism are not universal, each situation is dealt with independently because each situation is different.

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Why is Act Utilitarianism Consequentialist?

Moral judgements should be concerned with the end outcome or consequences of each act

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Why is Act Utilitarianism Teleological?

Utilitarianism is always concerned with the end of each act and this should (for utilitarianism) be happiness

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What is the principle of utility?

The principle of utility is 'the greatest happiness for the greatest number'

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Why is happiness and pleasure so hard to define?

Happiness and pleasure are subjective

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What is the Hedonic Calculus?

A means of measuring happiness and pleasure, it measures the moral value of a certain act by measuring the consequences in terms of the quantity of happiness

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What are the seven ways in which (according to Bentham) happiness and pleasure can be measured?

1)Intensity;Is the happiness deep or superficial? 2)Duration;Is it temporary or permanent? 3)Certainty; how sure are we that a certain act will lead to happiness/pleasure? 4)Extent;Does the act affect the whole life of a person/communinity

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What are the seven ways in which (according to Bentham) happiness and pleasure can be measured continued...

or does it only affect a certain aspect of their lives 5)Nearness; Does it affect the people close to us or the people far away from us 6)Richness; does it enrich or impoverish lives? 7)Pureness; is the act morally pure of morally ambiguous

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What are three criticisms of Benthams theory?

1)It measures happiness and pleasure in terms of quantity rather than quality 2)Its dependant on being able to predict the consequences of each action 3)You can't measure pleasure and happiness

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Who came up with the idea of rule utilitarianism?

John Stuart Mill

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How was Mills Rule different to Benthams Act?

Mill was more focused on the quality of pleasure rather than the quantity of pleasure. He also realised that some pleasures were superior to other pleasueres

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What are the higher pleasures?

Higher pleasures are those that are superior and satisfy the brain e.g music

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What are the lower pleasures?

Lower pleasures are those that are inferior (but lead to the superior) and satisfy the body e.g sex and eating

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what are two criticisms of Mills Rule utilitarianism?

1)Is it possible to distinguish between higher and lower pleasures 2)Is it possible to rely on a moral theory based on the moral principle of utility?

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What is Act Utilitarianism?

That any act is justifiable if the act causes the greatest happiness for the greatest number e.g. a murder is justifiable if it benefits the most peoples lives

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What is strong Rule Utilitarianism?

Any rules formulated through the application of the principle of utility shouldn't be broken as they guarantee happiness

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What is weak Rule Utilitarianism?

Allows for the rule to be broken in extreme cases in order to still achieve the principle of utility

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What are the four strengths of Benthams theory?

1)It is based on common sense 2)Takes cultural diversity into consideration 3)It's humanistic 4)It's a good way to measure the morality of the acts

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What are the three weaknesses of Benthams theory?

1)It has the power to justify any action e.g. Murder and gang **** 2)It's impractical because we can not use the hedonic calculus in every situation we come across 3)It's unequal because it doesn't treat everyone in a true sense of equality

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What are the five strengths of Mills theory?

1)The tendency to justify an action is limited 2)Takes into account the situation but maximises the importance of the individual 3)Expresses the christian teaching as love your neighbour as you love yourself 4)It's community centred rather than self

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What are the five strengths of Mills theory continued...

centred 5)In the golden rule of Jesus 'do to others as you would have them do to you'

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What are the three weaknesses of Mills theory?

1)Who are you to say your pleasure is higher than anyone elses? (elitist point of view) 2)What quantity of lower pleasures outweigh higher pain? 3)People tend to obtain more lower pleasures so the rule of utility isn't really applicable

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Utilitarianism

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