Exam 4 Philosophy
Bernard Williams "Doctrine of Negative Responsibility" states:
"If I am ever responsible for anything, then I must be just as responsible for things that I allow or fail to prevent, as I am for things that I myself bring about."
How does Mill reconcile our egoistic motives with Utilitarian morality? (pp. 122-123)
-99% of the time you're not concerned with moral duty anyway -motives don't matter, it's the greater good that matters -few of us have the ability to produce a lot of good anyway unless you're super powerful -you have to see that the pleasure of the group and the pleasure of yourself aren't in competition- should both make you happy- trying to show the bond between utilitarian and psychological egoism
Why does Mill think it's "better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied"?
-Mill thinks its better because humans require more to be satisfied, and the pig does not require much of anything to be satisfied -He believes it is better to be Socrates dissatisfied because he seeks out knowledge, and has more desire than a fool who is satisfied. ---Satisfaction is not the same as happiness---
How does Mill understand the relationship between virtue and happiness? (pp. 127-129)
-People desire things like friendship & love because it brings happiness to your life, these things are COMPONENTS OF HAPPINESS -We start out & notice things that make us happy & try to get more of it in our lives
How does he think we should rank different pleasures?
He considers mental pleasures as higher pleasures that can last longer and help people. Physical pleasures are lower pleasures that last a shorter amount of time without any long term satisfaction.
Mill's view on moral rules
Only moral rule is The Greatest-Happiness Principle
Rule Utilitarianism
=An act is right if & only if it is required by a rule that is itself a member of a set of rules whose acceptance would lead to greater utility for society than any available alternative -Collapses when asking there is exceptions or not??
Act Utilitarianism
=An act is right if and only if it results in as much good as any available alternative Objection: It flies in the face of fundamental institutions about minimally correct behavior. Ex) If you have employed a boy to mow your lawn and has finished the job and asks for pay, you should only pay him what you promised IF you can't find a better use for your money.
The Greatest Happiness Principle Definition
=where actions are considered moral when they tend to promote happiness and deter its opposite, and immoral when the opposite occurs.
What fallacy does the Greatest Happiness Principle commit?
Fallacy of composition= When you argue that what's true of the parts must be true of the whole Mill's Argument: EX #4) If (3), then the general happiness is desirable for the aggregate of people.
What is the second thing wrong with the Greatest Happiness Principle?
Fallacy of equivocation= one word means two different things MAKES ARGUMENT INVALID You cannot go from what is to what ought to be Mill's Argument: EX "the general happiness can be desired. What we want is that the general happiness ought to be desired. If we let 'desirable' mean 'ought to be desired' then we get the conclusion we want, but now the analogy no longer works and (2) is clearly false (just because we desire something doesn't mean we ought to desire it)."
Bernard Williams main objection:
INTEGRITY OBJECTION Utilitarianism makes it where there are NO moral agents. A moral agent is when an individual can do his or her own initiatives. In the Integrity objection Williams doesn't define integrity as standing by your principles even when it is difficult to do so. WILLIAMS DEFINES INTEGRITY AS THE ABILITY TO ACT FREELY ON WHAT YOU STAND FOR. ~~~~Williams believes utilitarianism is an attack on the existence of moral agency.~~~~~
Who's really down for Meredith?
ISABELLE MUZETTE COMISFORD
You should understand each of the major types of objections to Utilitarianism, raised by Pojman, and in class, as well as the ways the Utilitarian tries to respond.
Impartiality Objection =Utilitarianism requires us to be impartial Ex: You go see your friend in the hospital and they say "thank you for coming" & you reply that you only went to follow the categorical imperative. SEEMS HARSH AND SHOWS ABSENCE OF VIRTUES (compassion, love, friendship) Ex 2: A mother should treat a stranger the same as her child -Rule utilitarian : if all mothers take care of their children then society will do better. They may say we are impartial to the people we love but most of the time that doesn't conflict with utilitarianism
You should understand each of the major types of objections to Utilitarianism, raised by Pojman, and in class, as well as the ways the Utilitarian tries to respond.
Integrity Objection =Following utilitarianism forces you to give up what makes you who you are for the sake of the greater good (Proceeds from the Doctrine of Responsibility) Ex: Killing the 1 Indian yourself instead of 19 others dying forces you to give up your belief about not hurting an innocent person, but seems like you should do this in order to save 19 other lives, which promotes the greatest good for the greatest number.
Who's gonna do good on this exam?
Isabelle and Meredith
Chapter 15: Utilitarianism
John Stuart Mill
Chapter 16: Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism
Louis P. Pojman (List the objections to utilitarianism)
You should understand how Mill differs from Kant with respect to the justification of punishment, and the moral status of animals.
MILL believes in UTILITARIANISM, where people are being used and everything is done for the GREATEST AMOUNT OF GOOD. KANT's view opposes because he thinks PEOPLE HAVE INTRINSIC VALUE and should NOT be treated as a mere means to an end. Justification of Punishment -Kant: (people are still rational beings) 1) Only the guilty should be punished 2) Punishment should fit the crime -Mill: In order to punish, it has to benefit the greatest good for the greatest # of people Animals -Kant: Indirect duty to animals, people are subjective and rational--- animals are objective and irrational -Mill: Whatever promotes the greatest amount of happiness
How does the Utilitarian view of Mill and Bentham differ from that of other Utilitarians?
Mill and Bentham differ because they believe that PLEASURE IS THE GOOD = Hedonistic Utilitarian
Why does Mill prefer mental pleasures over physical pleasure?
Mill prefers mental pleasures over physical pleasures because he says they are just intrinsically better. ~He says they're "better quality pleasures." ~He considers mental pleasures as higher pleasures that can last longer and help people. Physical pleasures are lower pleasures that last a shorter amount of time without any long term satisfaction.
Mill's reply to the objection: C) To suppose that life has no higher end than pleasure is a doctrine worthy only of swine.
Mill thinks that people forget about higher pleasures that are listed within Utilitarianism. Pleasure isn't the highest end because mental pleasure outranks bodily pleasure.
Mill's reply to the objection: A) It's not a good idea to base morality on consequences, since we never truly know what the consequences of our actions might be.
Mill thinks that you do not always know, but you use past experiences to guide you.
Mill's reply to the objection: B) A life of happiness that the Utilitarian wants is impossible to achieve.
Mill- This misunderstands what the Utilitarian means by a happy life. You can't have intense pleasure all the time. It's reasonable to want to get rid of poverty, and famine. (Happy life= not in pain)
You should understand each of the major types of objections to Utilitarianism, raised by Pojman, and in class, as well as the ways the Utilitarian tries to respond.
Objection 1: No-Rest Objection Utilitarian is too demanding ~Ex: (Date to movies = $50) Greatest good would be to give the money to a homeless shelter, for example, instead of spending it leisurely on yourself. Rebuttal: You don't always have to think about morality. It doesn't have to be constant, the time to promote the greater good doesn't say that you can never take time for yourself
You should understand each of the major types of objections to Utilitarianism, raised by Pojman, and in class, as well as the ways the Utilitarian tries to respond.
Objection 2: Utilitarianism & Immoral Actions =If you do what utilitarianism says, you are clearly wrong =If you follow Utilitarianism, you have to act immorally sometimes Ex: Woman gets assaulted & goes to take pictures at the police station & has to undress. The police secretly take nude photos of her & she never finds out. Seems like the "greater good" is being promoted, but it is clearly wrong. Rebuttal: Sometimes you have to act immorally to promote the greater good Ex) Dropping a bomb on Hiroshima is justified because by killing these people, it will save many more, which promotes the greater good.
What does Mill think are the only desirable ends?
Only desirable ends: ~~Pleasure ~~Freedom from pain
Mill believes in psychological hedonism What is psychological hedonism?
Psychological Hedonism = each person looks out for their own pleasure (where actions stem from)
You should understand each of the major types of objections to Utilitarianism, raised by Pojman, and in class, as well as the ways the Utilitarian tries to respond.
The Problem of Distributive Justice = Neutral distribution doesn't mean it is morally good Ex) Society A +10 +10 .... =+10,000 Society B +20,000 -50 .... =+10,000 If all you focus on is total outcome, then there is many different ways to achieve it. The utilitarianism wouldn't pay attention to how, but would primarily focus on the outcome. Rebuttal: These scenarios are UNREALISTIC
Mill's reason for believing that higher pleasures will be chosen over lower
The higher pleasures are just intrinsically better & people prefer them he does NOT think it is due to inconsistent