Utilitarianism

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Utilitarianism

David Hume- talked about what is useful! Ethics should be based on what is most useful

Francis Hutchison- " Greatest happiness of the greatest number"

= neither were utilitarians but was the joining of their argument

These two views combined in which Jeremy Bentham used to create utilitarianism

Jeremy Bentham

Bentham believed that the most useful thing in a moral dilemma is happiness. Thus joining the views of Hume and Hutchison.

Principle of Utility- Is the principle of usefulness is maximised and pain is minimised.

BENTHAM= PLEASURE---. ON HEDONISM

"Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters pleasure and pain it is for them alone to point out what we ought to do"

Pleasure and pain control us

Teleological- concerned with the outcome as long as the outcome is a pleasure

Just emphasising maximum people considered

Utilitarianism sees moral acts as those which produce the maximum happiness

Hedonic Calculus--> way of qualifying pleasure

Intensity

Duration

Certainty

Fecundity

Propinality

Purity

Extent

Weaknesses

you are predicting but it's not certain

It is hard to apply in immediate ethical dilemmas

One's persons pleasure is another person pain

Happiness is more long-lived, more fulfilling whereas pleasure is immediate it's a bodily thing you can get from food and drink.

John Stuart Mill (strengths and weaknesses against Bentham)

Bentham doesn't give any order which ones do we focus on?

What about the minorities? Bentham talks about society but what about the minority that will suffer?

Pleasure- little more than animal instincts like food and drink this is why it's called a swine philosophy.

Quote:

"better to be a human satisfied than a pig satisfied"

Better to be a human who is constantly dissatisfied --> searching for new truth and new levels of knowledge than being a pig representing being blissfully ignorant

Lower pleasure--> shared by animals (food, drink, sex)

Higher Pleasure--> stimulate the mind and experience (literature, music, opera)

However, you have to consult a competent judge and are able to give you the experience of these and lead you to make the Higher pleasure choice.

Altruism- Usefulness and love for other very important for Mill because it went into his principle of utility on happiness which is desireable and ends in itself. The happiness of others increases your own--> eg giving a present

Mill then makes a link to Jesus's Golden rule:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

Made his argument more popular, making it more accessible to people at the time who were prominently Christian, what Mill was saying is this is not completely new ethics this is about convincing utilitarian uselessness to Jesus's main teachings.

Philosophical Critics of Mill

W.D.ROSS

Ross presents the single factor problem basically Mill and utilitarianism doesn't take into account complex live and moral problem (railway example)

HENRY SIDGEWICK

How can you distinguish higher and lower pleasure? animals run to catch food or find food. Humans do it not for that purpose but for exercise for a feeling of higher enlightenment which makes it become unclear.

ACT UTILITARIANISM (Jeremy Bentham)

We must look at the consequences each individual situation and act

Every individual circumstance must be looked at differently

No matter what the act you have to apply the Hedonic calculus to weigh out the maximise pain.

BENTHAM= Strong act utilitarian

Strengths

It's objectively applying the hedonic calculus to situations requiring clear guidance - everyone is equal

Weaknesses

Takes far too long

how do you calculate it

misused to justify wrong or immoral act

RULE UTILITARIANISM (John Stuart Mill)

General rule applied universally to promote happiness we are a rule utilitarian society

Across our society in order to maximise happiness

Create a balance of good over evil or pleasure over pain these rules should not be broken as they're the basis of morality--> this is what keeps our society happy.

MILL= weak utilitarian- believed these rules can be broken under extreme circumstances

Strengths

Fair because rules apply to everyone

Its interest is in maximising happiness for a society based on a universal human nature so it's based on these ideas that humans are moral, focusing on happiness. - a concept which everyone can experience.

Weaknesses

How do you know when your situation is extreme.