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Utilitarianism - Coggle Diagram
Utilitarianism
Act Utilitarianism
Principle of utility
an action ought to be performed only if it brings about the maximum possible happiness for those parties affected by the action : 'the greatest happiness for the greatest number'
consequences of each action we perform , and determine on a case-by-case basis whether an action is morally right or wrong.
Hedonic calculus
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Purity - how likely is it that the pleasure/pain won't be followed by a sensation of the opposite kind
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if one course of action involves a small amount pain but a huge amount of pleasure it will be better than an action that leads to no pain but only a little pleasure
political decisions have been made on the basis of utilitarianism - abortion was legalized in 1967 on the basis that improve women's health - illegal abortions were dangerous
Strengths
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rather than giving a blanket rule , utilitarianism puts us in a position to take circumstances into account
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