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PHI 208 CH 3 New, Utility - Coggle Diagram
PHI 208 CH 3 New
utilitarianism --
- Most common theory of 3 theors- focuses action...VE focus on charac and nature of person doing action...Deon action itself
3 aspects of human actions..-- main differences..-- which aspect the theo takes fundamental for moral reasoning and moral value.......
- Nature and charac of person doing action
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- theory morally right actions/laws/policies are whose consq have greatest Pos value/least Neg value compared to alternatives
- (interactive) appeal of results of one choice over another
- Utis recog import of most other reasons but most funda and essen to MOR are consq actions/overall consq outweigh neg ones
CORE IDEA: Determine how much pleasure (or other positive value) minus pain (or other negative value) will result from available actions spread across all people affected by actions and do what produces the greatest overall good.
utilitarianism A consequentialist ethical theory that holds that morally right actions, laws, or policies are those whose consequences contain the greatest positive value and least negative value compared to the consequences of available alternatives. :check:
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utilitarianism maintains that morality is a matter of striving to make the world a better place by making choices that bring about the greatest overall happiness.
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John Stuart Mill 19th cent. Englishman; 1861 wrote utilitarianism; adopted Bentham's ideas; tried to commu and defend in simple was and addressed most common criticisms; creed accepts as foundation morals of utility or greatest happiness principle; actions right in proportion as promote happiness; wrong if reverse of happiness; happi = intended pleasure/absence of pain; unhappiness = pain & privation of pleasure
Why suppose happi, pleas in abs of pain, should be stndrd val when distng right/wrong?
gen theo of life was Mills prime justifi for uti theo or morlty......pleas and freedom from pain only thngs desrble as ends; all desrble thngs for pleas inherent in them or as means to promote pleas and prevnt pain.
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On Mill's account, happiness is more pleasure, less pain, happier we are, we all want happiness more than anything else
despite differs all comes down to pleas/pain;;; we don't pursue pleas and avoid pan for anything else
If this is true, seems we have common intrins valua feat of conseq of actions needed to measure diff outcomes/disting between right and wrong
Follows by determine amnt of ovall happi = pleas - pain resulting from actions, we determine whch consq are best and thus which actions objectively moral...unites us...serve as basis of gen objective morality can apply to all people
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Bentham 1748-1832 British philo found utilitarianism known as HEDONISM ... we whittle down value to happiness to pleasure (good)/absence of pain and unhappiness = pain in absence of pleasure...give needed distin of good/bad consq...every action/policy produces plea/pain among indi affected
Pleasure/pain serve as commone value (basic moral stndrd...if all values reduce to p/p, and if no more basic goods than pleas and no more basic bads than pain the...pleas intrisic good and pain intrinsic bad
Thought p/p be identified and measured.....+pleasure by action -pain =value for situ result in avail choice....action = greatst ovall value is morally right action
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hedonism The view that pleasure is the most basic positive value, and pain is the most basic negative value. :check:
hedonistic utilitarianism The form of utilitarianism that identifies utility as pleasure and the absence of pain or suffering. :check:
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Features
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If actions = worse consq than other avail action, then morally wrong
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utility Bentham and Mills ---A measure of well-being and the ultimate standard of value in utilitarianism. This is often defined as happiness, pleasure, and the absence of suffering, or the satisfaction of preferences. :check:
utility is ultmate value which compare outcomes of actions...happiness...more specifically pleasure in absence of pain
Value
Intrinsic Value - value something has in itself; must reduce good/bad things to common intrinsic value; opp of instrumental value
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intrinsic value The value that something has in itself, regardless of what it produces or preventstext :check:.
instrumental value Also called “extrinsic value,” this is the value that something has insofar as it produces occurrences of positive value or prevents occurrences of negative value :check:
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