What is
Utilitarianism?
JOHN STUART MILL
Teleological
Moral Theory
Teleology
From the Greek word telos, meaning “purpose”
or “end," Teleology focuses on the goals, ends,
and purposes of things in the world.
While Christian von Wolff coined the term
Teleology in 1728, the idea originated in the
western world with Aristotle, who argued for
the purposeful-ness of nature.
Aristotle's Four Causes
Material Cause : the actual physical componets that make up a thing.
Formal Cause : the structure, blueprint, or design of a being
Efficient Cause : the agent which brigns something to existence
Final Cause : the ultimate purpose of a thing
What is your
ultimate purpose?
Epicureanism
Human being's Concept of Happiness
Happiness as the greatest
good.
Human beings have a Physical Intellectual
complex notion of pleasure. Pleasures Pleasures
"it is better to be Socrates
dissatisfied than a pig satisfied."
Greatest Happiness Principle
Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote
happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of
happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the
absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and the privation of
pleasure.
The standard is not the agent’s own great happiness, but the
greatest amount of happiness altogether.
Whose Happiness?
Whose happiness shoud be prioritized?
To prioritize an individua's self-interest is to follow the path of moral egosim.
To prioritize a group creates factionalism and injustice.
Ergo, the welfare of everyone must be prioritized to achieve the greatest
happiness for the greatest number.
Act Utilitarianism: do whatever will produce the
best overall results— should be applied on a case
by case basis.
seen as the most natural interpretation of the utilitarian ideal
focuses on individual acts, not to classes of similar actions
Kinds of
effects determine whether an action is right or wrong in
specific cases
how we should act must depend on actual consequences
Utilitarianism
of the available options
Richard Brandt introduced the terms Act Utilitarianism to
refer to “direct, extreme” utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism
to refer to “indirect, restricted” utilitarianism.
Objections to Act Utilitarianism
has the tendency to give the wrong answers to moral questions
people’s behavior would lack the kind of predictability and
consistency required to sustain trust and social stability
Rule Utilitarianism: judge the morality of
individual actions by reference to general moral
rules,
correct moral rules are those whose inclusion in our moral
code will produce better results (more well-being) than other
possible rules.
Kinds of
produces beneficial results by following rules instead of by
performing individual actions.
Utilitarianism
general rules or practices are more likely to promote good
effects than simply telling people to do whatever they
think is best in each individual case.
Richard Brandt introduced the terms Act Utilitarianism to
refer to “direct, extreme” utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism
to refer to “indirect, restricted” utilitarianism.
Objections to Rule Utilitarianism
will lead to rule worship: irrational deference to rules that have no
utilitarian justification.
has no regard for justice, rights, and desert which involves the
question: “does a person deserve such treatment or verdict or
predicament?”
The Trolley Problem
Consider this:
There is a runaway trolley barrelling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks,
there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for
them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull
this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that
there is one person on the side track. You have two options:
1. Do nothing and allow the trolley to kill the five people on the main track.
2. Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person.
Which is the more ethical option? Or, more simply: What is the right thing to do?
Assignment
Answer the posted Classwork
Read Richard Brandt's Utilitarianism and
the Rules of War
Thank You!
