Utilitarianism: introduction

Starter: Extension Questions What happened to Jeremy Bentham’s head? For Christmas, would you prefer a Hedonic Calculus, or a Felicific Calculus? Act versus Rule Utilitarianism: who takes which view? What are the following topics referring to, and what do they have in common? Quantifying Happiness; Bad Pleasures; Predictable v Actual Consequences; Short-term v Long-term Consequences; Local v Global Consequences; the issue of Justice and Rights; the matter of Special Obligations.

Quickfire round: Explain Quantifying Happiness; Act Utilitarianism Bad Pleasures; Rule Utilitarianism Predictable v Actual Consequences; Preference Utilitarianism Short-term v Long-term Consequences; The Felicific Calculus Local v Global Consequences; Hedonism the issue of Justice and Rights; the matter of Special Obligations.

Main Activity: Reading Mill We’ll look at the extract in your handout. Question-swapping activity will follow Construction of good example of utilitarian reasoning

Homework Outline and illustrate Bentham and Mill’s classical account of utilitarianism. (2-3 sides)