Consequentialist Ethical Theories Egoism: the good is whatever promotes my long-term interests Hedonism: we should pursue pleasures that are not mixed with pain (prudence, justice, knowledge), satisfy natural desires (food, sleep), & avoid vain desires (fame, fashion) Objection: how can egoism help us resolve ethical conflicts? Epicurus BCE
Utilitarianism: we ought to promote the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number Bentham: the hedonic calculus is based on the intensity, duration, certainty, immediacy, fecundity, purity, & number of people affected J. S. Mill: the quality of pleasures needs to be considered, determined by competent judges The morality of an act is different from the person or character responsible for the act J. Bentham ( ) J. S. Mill ( )
Variations of Utilitarianism Act utilitarianism: we are obligated to do the specific act that produces the greatest amount of happiness (regardless of rules or justice) Objections: consequence calculation is difficult; besides, this implies that the end justifies the means Rule utilitarianism: we should follow moral rules that, when acted upon, generally produce the greatest amount of happiness Objection: what about when rules conflict?