Vocab
What is Utilitarianism?
A theory of morality that supports the actions that promote happiness or pleasure.
Which of the two philosphoers were known as the father of Utilitarism?
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham believed one's actions are motivated by ____ or _______
Pleasure or Pain
Who did John Stuart Mill disagree with on the nature of "happiness"?
Jeremy Bentham
Who created Act Utilitarianism and who create Rule Utilitarianism?
Jeremy Bentham, Stuart Mill
What is Consequentialism?
It states that one should always promote good outcomes no matter the consequences.
Why was the theological approach not effective?
It wasn't clean and clear what work god does.
To what extent did Bentham believe actions should be judged to?
To the extent that they increase/decrease human utility
What did Mill's version of utilitarianism emphasize? Not only the quantity but also the quality of these human experiences.
High and low pleasures
Believes that an action becomes morally correct when it produces the most good for the most people
Act Utilitarianism
What is Welfarism?
The value of an outcome is determined by the well-being of the individuals in it.
What did most philosophers agree on?
They all agreed that happiness was our final end and that it's what we do everything else for.
Who influenced Bentham?
John Locke, David Hume
Name at least 2 things John Stuart Mill politically advocated for.
Individual liberty, freedom of speech and expression, women's rights, limited government, representative democracy
Believes that an action is right morally if it conforms to a rule that achieves the greatest good
Rule Utilitarianism
What is Impartiality?
A given quantity of well-being is equally valuable no matter whole well-being it is.
What did the early thinkers of utilitarism beleive?
They believed that encouraging happiness was necessary on us because it was approved by god. “because God only can in all cases make a man happy or miserable: and therefore, since we are always obliged to that conformity called virtue, it is evident that the immediate rule or criterion of it is the will of God”
Why did Bentham create Utilitarianism?
He was concerned with social and legal reforms
What "higher" aspects of human nature did Mill recognize that are extended beyond simple pleasure-seeking?
Intellectual and moral desires/pleasures
Does rule utilitarianism emphasize the quality or quantity of happiness when evaluating rules?
Quality of happiness
What is Aggregations?
The value of an outcome is given by the sum value of the lives it contains.
Who was Epicurus and what did he beleive?
He was a philosophical ansestor that contributed to Utilitarism. He beleived that poeple should seek happiness and pleasure to avoid pain.
What is Felicity/Hedonistic Calculus?
It is an algorithm that calculates how much pleasure one feels from a specific action.
What were the titles of his essay and book where Mill outlined his philosophy of individual liberty and argued for women's rights?
On Liberty and The Subjection of Women
According to act utilitarianism, what should one consider when making decisions to maximize overall happiness?
The specific consequences of each individual action