1. Utilitarianism

2. English Empiricism Hume held that what is commonly taken as “knowledge” is really a set of reasonable beliefs that are well founded because they are based on experience.

3. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) Bentham still attends board meetings!

4. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) It is the results that make something right or wrong. This ethical theory is the exact opposite of Kant’s categorical imperative.

5. The Calculus of Felicity 1. Intensity: How intense is the pleasure?

6. The Calculus of Felicity 1. Intensity: How intense is the pleasure? 2. Duration: How long does the pleasure last?

7. The Calculus of Felicity 1. Intensity: How intense is the pleasure? 2. Duration: How long does the pleasure last? 3. Certainty: How sure is the pleasure?

8. The Calculus of Felicity 1. Intensity: How intense is the pleasure? 2. Duration: How long does the pleasure last? 3. Certainty: How sure is the pleasure? 4. Proximity: How soon will the pleasure be experienced?

9. The Calculus of Felicity 1. Intensity: How intense is the pleasure? 2. Duration: How long does the pleasure last? 3. Certainty: How sure is the pleasure? 4. Proximity: How soon will the pleasure be experienced? 5. Fecundity: How many more pleasures will follow in the train of this pleasure?

10. The Calculus of Felicity 1. Intensity: How intense is the pleasure? 2. Duration: How long does the pleasure last? 3. Certainty: How sure is the pleasure? 4. Proximity: How soon will the pleasure be experienced? 5. Fecundity: How many more pleasures will follow in the train of this pleasure? 6. Purity: How free from pain is this pleasure?

11. The Calculus of Felicity 1. Intensity: How intense is the pleasure? 2. Duration: How long does the pleasure last? 3. Certainty: How sure is the pleasure? 4. Proximity: How soon will the pleasure be experienced? 5. Fecundity: How many more pleasures will follow in the train of this pleasure? 6. Purity: How free from pain is this pleasure? 7. Extent: How many people will experience the pleasure?

12. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

13. Mill claimed that he was only changing the quantitative measure of utilitarianism to a qualitative measure.

14. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) Mill’s “principle of liberty” states “… the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”

15. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) “The uncultivated cannot be competent judges of cultivation.”

16. Summary Having some quantitative questions to ask makes sense, but we want also to find a way to bring qualitative values into our ethics as well.