Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism

1. An action is good if the consequences are favourable

   • What is right and wrong will depend on the circumastances
     • Relativist
     • An act is right if it produces more pleasure than pain
       • Principle of utility
       • Each is to count for one
         • Egalitarian
         • Bentham
           • Quantitive
             • Concerns himself with the number of people satisfied
           • Hedonic Calculus
             • Way of measuring pain and pleasure
               • Animals count too as they can feel pain and pleasure
             • Seven elements
               • Intensity
                 • Is it intense or only mildly pleasurable?
               • Duration
                 • How long will the happiness last?
               • Certainty
                 • Is it possible it might not happen?
               • Remoteness/Propinquity
                 • How close is it to me?
               • Fecundity
                 • Might it breed more happiness?
               • Purity
                 • Is it tainted with other considerations?
               • Extent
                 • Will it affect others close to me?
           • Associated with act utilitarianism
             • Principle of utility is applied to each individual case

2. Mill

   • Extension of the ideas of Bentham
     • Concerned about tyranny of the majority
       • Bentham regarded pushpin 'as good as poetry'
       • Majority overpowers the minority
         • Could justify throwing christians to the lions
       • Better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied
         • Better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied
           • Argued for individual happiness
             • Animals are not significant to Mill as humans clearly enjoy higher pleasures
               • Criticised as it is difficult to know what is a higher or base pleasure
                 • Someone who has experience and knowledge of both should define the higher and lower pleasures
                   • As they can define the pain/pleasure the action causes
                   • Competent Judge
             • Mill argues for sovereignty (autonomy) and dignity
               • The Harm Principle
                 • Individuals can make their own choices if it is not harming anyone else but themselves
                   • E.g. individual should be allowed to smoke in private, it is up to him
                 • Actions of individuals should only be limited to prevent the harm of other individuals
               • Mill would agree with voluntary euthanasia
   • Qualitative
     • Concerns himself with the quality of the happiness rather than the quantity
       • Roger Crisp
         • Haydn and the immortal oyster
           • If measuring quantity of happiness
             • The immortal oyster would score higher as he lives for longer
           • If measuring quality of happiness
             • Haydn would score higher as he has a higher quality of happiness even though he only lives for 70 years
       • Example of speed restriction on Lake Windermere
         • Water sport is a base pleasure
           • Enjoyment of nature and tranquility is a higher pleasure
             • Therefore they are more significant when making the decision
   • More deontological
     • Rules help us do what is right
       • Rights should be protected by the law
       • Referred to as a rule utilitarian
         • However, in order to save a life Mill does argue it may be necessary to kidnap a doctor
           • Therefore making him a soft rule utilitarian

3. Preference Utilitarianism

   • Doesn't concern itself with calculating happiness
   • Concerns itself with best interests of people and animals
     • Animals must count equally
       • They feel pleasure and pain
         • Animals are more sentient than an embryo
           • Considering humans to be more significant is speciesist
     • Trade offs
       • Compromise our own self interests to relieve the suffering of the majority
         • Peter Singer's example of the Battery farmed chickens
           • Consumers should be willing to be a little more to relieve the suffering of the chickens
           • Example of the dam built in wilderness
             • Dam provides jobs and clean energy
             • But habitats will be destroyed
             • If there was a trade off the dam would not be built
               • Important to preserve wildness for the future generations
       • Peter Singer
         • Make decisions about the welfare of other beings, then we will have a good life
           • Toddler in the pond
             • If child was drowning in a pond
               • We would sacrifice our expensive shoes to jump in and save them
                 • Surely instead we could not buy the expensive shoes
                   • And instead donate that cost to charity
           • Argues for infanticide
             • Sanctity of life is outdated and causes more suffering
               • We would put an animal out of their suffering so why not a human life?
                 • Considers abortion as swapping one life for another
         • His vegetarianism