Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Utilitarianism (Strengths (It is flexible and allows for changes in public…
Utilitarianism
Strengths
It is flexible and allows for changes in public opinion as well as differences in individual circumstances.
-
It does not depend on an external authority such as religion, but allows people to make their own decisions according to what they feel is best.
-
-
-
Weaknesses
The Hedonic-Calculus can be time consuming and difficult to work out, and moral decisions often have to be made quickly.
Some people argue that happiness is not a sufficient goal for ethics. Goodness and happiness are not the same.
We are not always good at guessing what will make us happy, and it is even harder to guess what will make other people happy.
Some people argue that the morality of an action should not be judged by its outcome but by its motivation.
-
If the greatest happiness for the greatest number is always the principle, then those who are in minority, who are made happy by different things, lose out.
Act Utilitarianism
-
It looks at the balance of pleasure and pain that is likely to be produced by that particular action in the particular case.
There is no duty to adopt a particular approach because a different situation might involve different people with different interests.
It avoids setting up rule. An act might bring about maximal pleasure in one set of circumstances, but the same act may bring about more pain in a different circumstance.
Rule Utilitarianism
-
-
It considers what is the best for society and what would happen if everyone behaved this way, as well as looking at the individual circumstances.
Rule utilitarians recognise general rules that exist for the benefit of everyone, such as promise-keeping and truth-telling.
Principle of Utility
Jeremy Bentham introduced the idea of utilitarianism. He wanted to find a way of doing ethics that did not rely on rules or the Church.
-
The principle of utility is otherwise known as the greatest happiness principle, it is a principle that says the best course of action to take is the one which maximises happiness for the greatest number of people.
The Hedonic Calculus
To calculate the pleasure or pain an action is likely to generate, there are several factors to consider.
- INTENSITY - will it be intense pleasure or just mild.
- DURATION - how long is the pleasure likely to last.
- CERTAINTY or UNCERTAINTY - will it definitely bring pleasure, how likely is it?
- PROPINQUITY - how far off in the future is the pleasure.
- FECUNDITY - is the pleasure likely to lead to other pleasures too.
John Stuart Mill
In his book 'Utilitarianism' JSM added to Bentham's ideas by making a distinction between higher and lower pleasures.
Mill states that the quality of the pleasure should be included, for example, intellectual, aesthetic social and spiritual pleasures
He says that it is better to be a human dissatisfied that a pig satisfied - we should not be content with just seeking sensual pleasure, like other animals.
He thought that Art and Culture should be considered more important that pleasures such as getting drunk or gluttony.
He thought that it could be right for a individual to sacrifice his or her ow pleasure for the sake of other people.