Utilitarianism. Learning Objectives:- (long term) 1. To understand the ‘greatest happiness principle’. 2. To understand the similarities and differences.

Slides:



Advertisements
Similar presentations
What is a normative theory?
Advertisements

Jeremy Bentham ( CE) John Stuart Mill ( CE) Goodness/rightness and badness/wrongness are located in the consequences an act (consequentialism).
RECAP – TASK 1 What is utilitarianism? Who is Jeremy Bentham?
Utilitarianism.
Utilitarianism: Bentham and Mill
UTILTARIANISM ONE BENTHAM MILL EPICURUS SINGER.
Utilitarianism Guiding Principle 5.
PHIL 2525 Contemporary Moral Issues Lec 13 Utilitarianism Chapter 7.
Teleological Ethics: Morality is determined by the consequences of actions u Hedonism: value (good) is pleasure/happiness l Egoism: my happiness is the.
Consequentialist Ethical Theories Egoism: the good is whatever promotes my long-term interests Hedonism: we should pursue pleasures that are not mixed.
How Actions Can Be Morally Evaluated l Teleological Ethics: we are morally obligated to do X because of its good consequences l Deontological Ethics: X.
Consequentialist Ethical Theories u Egoism: the good is whatever promotes my long-term interests u Hedonism: the good is pleasure l Pursue pleasures not.
ETHICS BOWL CONSEQUENTIALism.
UTILITARIANISM: A comparison of Bentham and Mill’s versions
Utilitarianism Bentham’s Act Utilitarianism 12 November 2012
Utilitarian Approach. Utilitarianism The founder of classical utilitarianism is Jeremy Bentham. According to Bentham human beings always try to avoid.
Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a relative ethical theory It based on the concept of utility Utilitarianism is a teleological/consequentialist theory.
PHIL 2525 Contemporary Moral Issues
Introduction to Utlilitarianism What do we already know about Utilitarianism? It’s a Consequentialist Theory: focuses on outcomes. It’s a Teleological.
 The benefits of embryo research come mainly from stem cell usage  it is hoped that stem cells can be stimulated to develop any tissue or organ of the.
Consequentialism Utilitarianism. John Stuart Mill ( ) Principle of Utility: actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness,
Utilitarianism. Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters; pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we.
The Morality of Consequences. Utilitarian Ethics We ought to perform actions which tend to produce the greatest overall happiness for the greatest number.
Utilitarianism or Consequentialism Good actions are those that result in good consequences. The moral value of an action is extrinsic to the action itself.
Ethics LL.B. STUDIES 2015 LECTURE 2. Part one Mapping ethics.
Ethics A look at the reasons behind decisions about what is right and wrong. What is the right thing to do?
Utilitarian approach to war and peace BY PHIL, ISAAC AND BAASIM.
Nicole Pongratz Allisen Jacques Shannon Griese Amber Teichmiller 4/13/2010.
Jeremy Bentham Bentham the real founder of utilitarianism Biography –Read adult literature by age 3 –Good knowledge of Greek and Latin by 6 and.
Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism Learning Objectives:- (long term) 1. To understand the ‘greatest happiness principle’. 2. To understand the similarities.
Utilitarianism is a kind of consequentialism
UTILITARIANISM “A moral theory according to which an action is right if and only if it conforms to the principle of utility.” (Jeremy Bentham, Introduction.
AREA 1 GUIDING PRINCIPLES SECTION 3 Consequences (Utilitarian Ethics) Duty and Reason (Kantian Ethics)
Utilitarianism is a theory about what we ought to do. It states that we should always choose actions which produce the greatest amount of happiness for.
‘UTILITARIANISM FROM BENTHAM & MILL’ THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES
LO: I will know about the Hedonic Calculus Hmk: Do some biographical work on John Stuart Mill Starter: Using your homework, what did you find out about.
Utilitarian Theory of Ethics Utilitarian theory is a consequentialist approach to judging moral behavior. Consequentialist hold that –consequences count.
Ethics A look at the reasons behind decisions about what is right and wrong. What is the right thing to do?
Consequentialism (utilitarism). General description 'Consequentialist theories regard the moral value of actions, rules of conduct, and so on, as dependent.
UTILITARIANISM A teleological ethical theory founded by Jeremy Bentham.
Recap Hedonism Key players and ideas? B’s Theory of Motivation What is it? Moral Fact What is it?
Moral Theory An explanation of why an action is right or wrong or why a person or a person’s character is good or bad Tells us what it is about an action.
Utilitarianism.
Utilitarianism.
Jeremy Bentham 15 February 1748 – 6 June Jeremy Bentham (15 February 1748 – 6 June 1832) Jeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and.
J.S. Mill Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism “The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, utility, or the greatest happiness principle, holds that.
Jeremy Bentham: Psychological Hedonism An account of human nature is necessary in order to describe morals and legislation scientifically. Just as we explain.
Introduction to Philosophy Lecture 16 Ethics #2: Utilitarianism By David Kelsey.
PHIL 2525 Contemporary Moral Issues Lec 10 Utilitarianism.
LO: I will explain Peter Singer’s approach to Utilitarianism H/W: Remember, assessment next lesson 10 th.
 Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill  Reason not Revelation  Consequentialism – good or bad, right or wrong, are based on outcomes.
Ethical theories and approaches in Business
Utilitarianism Learning outcome:
Utilitarianism.
Utilitarianism - Introduction
Utilitarianism - Introduction
On your whiteboard: What is teleology? What is hedonism?
Religion and Justice Utilitarianism Jeremy Bentham ( )
Moral Reasoning  Ethical dilemmas in management are not simple choices between “right” and “wrong”.They are complex judgments on the balance between economic.
Bentham’s Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is an ethical theory. It is teleological and hedonistic. So, Utilitarianism says that the right action is…
Jeremey Bentham Founder of Utilitarianism Born: 1748
Moral Reasoning  Ethical dilemmas in management are not simple choices between “right” and “wrong”.They are complex judgments on the balance between economic.
Utilitarianism - Introduction
Utilitarianism – Bentham’s Classic Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism Consequential, i.e. Utilitarianism – a good moral decision is that which the consequences of the action produces the greatest good for the.
Moral Theories: Utilitarianism
Moral Reasoning  Ethical dilemmas in management are not simple choices between “right” and “wrong”.They are complex judgments on the balance between economic.
Utilitarianism – Bentham’s Classic Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism- Key Points
Presentation transcript:

Utilitarianism

Learning Objectives:- (long term) 1. To understand the ‘greatest happiness principle’. 2. To understand the similarities and differences between Bentham and Mill. 3. Understand the distinction between Act and Rule Utilitarianism. 4. Discuss how appropriate these labels are for Bentham and Mill. 5. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Utilitarianism.

This lesson’s objectives are…  To understand the principle of utility.  To be able to explain the significance of the hedonic calculus.  To be confident with Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism theory.  To understand what ‘Act Utilitarianism’ means.

Utilitarianism- Key Points Brief Intro…  A teleological theory. But, what does this mean?  Teleological theories look at the consequences- the results of an action- to decide whether it is right or wrong.  Consequentialist theory- someone who decides whether an action is good or bad by its consequences.

Jeremy Bentham  He was concerned with social and legal reform & he wanted to develop an ethical theory which established whether something was good or bad according to its benefit for the majority of people.  He called this the principle of utility.  Utility = the usefulness of the results of actions.

Bentham…  Bentham equated happiness with pleasure and the absence of pain.  This was an empirical observation - people desire pleasure and seek to avoid pain.  His scientific mind led him to believe that the study of ethics could be undertaken in a practical way, carefully measuring the possible consequences or outcomes of an action before deciding which choice to take.  Bentham’s theories led to extensive social reform affecting Parliament, criminal law, the jury system, prisons, savings banks, cheap postage etc, etc.  What was revolutionary about Bentham’s theory was that it resulted in all people being considered when making laws. His hedonic calculus was especially helpful in determining how to measure different amounts of pleasure.

Principle of Utility Often expressed as, “the greatest good of the greatest number”. Good = happiness or pleasure. So, an act is right or wrong according to the good or bad results that results from the act and the good act is the most pleasurable. Quantitative= focuses on the greatest number.

Bentham’s Approach  The theory is based on ancient hedonism, which pursued physical pleasure and avoided physical pain.  Moral acts= maximize pleasure/ minimize pain    Utilitarian calculus.  So, an act = moral, if it brings the greatest amount of pleasure and least pain.

Pain vs. pleasure  Bentham, “The principle of utility aims to promote happiness which is the supreme ethical value. Nature has placed us under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. An act is ‘right’ if it delivers more pleasure than pain and ‘wrong’ if it brings about more pain than pleasure.”  Simple equation  Happiness = pleasure minus pain.

Pleasure vs. Happiness  “Actions are right in proportion when they tend to promote happiness, wrong when they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.” When Bentham talks about happiness, he refers to pleasure and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and the absence of pleasure.  According to Bentham's theory, the rightness of an action entirely depends on the value of its consequences. That is why the theory is also described as consequentialist.

Hedonism The view that pleasure is the chief ‘good’.

Measure Hedonism Think: If you were to measure pleasure (Hedonism), how would you do it? What would you look for?

Hedonic Calculus Helps us choose the good thing to do and work out the possible consequences of an action. P.R.R.I.C.E.D = acronym.  Purity – how free from pain is it?  Remoteness – how near is it?  Richness – to what extent will it lead to other pleasures?  Intensity – how powerful is it?  Certainty – how likely it is to result in pleasure?  Extent – how many people does it affect?  Duration – how long will it last?

Hedonic Calculus & Euthanasia  Bentham's Hedonic Calculus can be used to weigh up the pleasure and pain caused by two courses of action - in this case, helping someone to die, or not doing so.  Bentham would consider the Intensity of the pain and its Duration. He would have to weigh that against the number of people affected (Extent), and consider whether keeping someone alive would lead to other pleasures (Richness). He would also need to add up the amount of other 'pains' the patient would face e.g. loss of dignity (Purity), and consider the chances that there' might be a cure or treatment in the future (Certainty). The pain is immediate, while possible future benefits are Remote.  In most cases, the degree of pain is so great that Bentham's theory would support euthanasia.

Act Utilitarianism  A teleological theory that uses the outcome of an action to determine whether it is good or bad.

Wrap up  On the piece of paper, write one thing you have learned today…  Could be a concept you are now familiar with.  Or, a new key term in your vocabulary.  A theory that you are more confident in understanding.  Developed an academic/exam skill.  If nothing, be honest. But say why you feel nothing.