Zusammenfassung der Ressource
UTILITARIANISM - "The greatest happiness for the
greatest number"
- ACT
- Created by Bentham
- Bentham was called a HEDONIST - This is because he said the rightness or the wrongness of
an action could be judged by its consequences.
- HE BELIVIES YOUR MOTIVES DO NOT MATTER
- "GOOD CONSEQUENCES BRING ABOUT PLEASURE.
BAD CONSEQUENCES BRING ABOUT PAIN"
- Bentham thought pleasure could be measured/quantified. Due to
this he devised the hedonic calculus
- THE HEDONIC CALCULUS
- The intensity of the pleasure
- Duartion of the pleasure
- Certainty of the pleasure
- How near the pleasure is to you
- How continous the pleasure is
- Likeliness of pain and pleasure mixed
together
- How widespread the pleasure is
- RULE
- CREATED BY JOHN STUART MLL
- MILL THOUGH THE QUANTITY OF PLEASURE SHOULD BE MEASURED, AS WELL AS THE QUANTITY
- Mill criticed Benthams theory calling it SWINE. This is because he did
not believe "ALL PLEASURES WERE OF EQUAL WEIGHT"
- Mill compares humans to pigs. He says both humans and pigs experience
lower pleasures, but only humans experience higher.
- Even when humans are bored or experience dissatisfaction, you would still prefer to be a
human not a pig.
- HE DID NOT BELIEVE ALL PLEASURES WERE OF EQUAL
WEIGHT - He distinguised two types of pleasures.
- Lower pleasures
- These are pleasures shared with animals
- EATING
- SLEEPING
- SEX
- Higher pleasures
- These are pleasures only humans have
- RELATIONSHIPS
- IMAGINIATION
- RATIONAL THOUGHTS
- SECONDARY PRINCIPLES
- MILL SAYS HAPPINESS IS TO COMPLEX AND OF AN INDEFINITE STANDARD TO APPLY TO HUMAN ACTIONS -
- As humans we already know which actions produce happiness for society - e.g moral laws :
do not steal --- MILL CALLED THESE SECONDARY PRINCIPLES
- HOWEVER - if two secondary principles came into conflict he believs you should fall back onto
the principle of utility.
- Something which makes the most happiness.
- This theory is:
- RELATIVE
- SUBJECTIVE
- TELELOGICAL