ENGR 482 - Utilitarian Ethics

In utilitarian ethics...

...similar particular acts can sometimes have radically different consequences. ...it can be difficult to know in advance which particular acts are right and which are wrong.

Utilitarianism

An act being morally right or wrong depends solely on the consequences (it brings about). The most optimal choice is morally right and the rest are morally wrong.

Expected consequences vs actual consequences

Elser's attempt to kill Hitler was good. Elser actually killing 70 innocent people was bad. (Elser hid a time bomb in which Hitler left his speech early)

Rosa believes if she crams tonight for her test tomorrow, then she will do well on the exam. This is an example of what?

Expected consequences

Although Bentham and Mill discussed happiness extensively, they never indicated procedures for how to measure or calculate pleasure and pain.

False

An act is morally right if it brings about more pleasure than a majority of alternative acts.

False

Most contemporary utilitarians think act types, rather than particular acts, should be evaluated morally.

False - most contemporary utilitarians hold that only particular acts exhibit the moral properties subject to the utilitarian analysis

Which course of action below is a utilitarian most likely to choose?

Firing 50 people to save a company from bankruptcy that employs 300 workers.

Classic Hedonistic Act Utilitarianism

Happiness is good for its own sake (Jeremy Bentham). An act is right if and only if no alternate act brings about more of what is good for its own sake. (the most good for the most people; ER example)

Act utilitarianism vs rule utilitarianism

If the act conforms with a set of rules that would lead to optimal consequences, what would happen if an overwhelming majority in society were to accept those rules?

How might a utilitarian respond to a situation in which one is faced with a choice whether to tell a lie?

If the consequences of the lie are on the whole better than those of telling the truth, then lying is the right course of action.

Three utilitarian thinkers

Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) John Stuart Mill (1806 - 1873) Henry Sidgwick (1838 - 1900)

Preference utilitarianism

One of the main alternatives to hedonistic utilitarianism (overall happiness) is preference utilitarianism

Egalitarianism

Relative differences matter. Whether something has some moral property depends only on consequences.

What does it mean to say that Bentham's hedonistic utilitarian theory is additive?

The focus is on the total sum of good produced, not the manner in which that good is distributed.

Act utilitarianism

The right-making features of an act are the consequences of that particular act (ex. Lie to me now if that has optimal consequences.)

Consequentialism

There are many views on how exactly the moral properties of our acts correlate with their consequences. An act is right just in case the sum total of utility produced by the act is optimal for all those affected by it, but this aggregation principle is by no means accepted by all consequentialists.

According to the utilitarian calculus, the consequences that an action poses to future generations can outweigh those facing individuals in the present time.

True

Classic hedonistic act utilitarianism holds that only happiness is good for its own sake and that acts are right insofar as no alternative act could bring about more of this good.

True

Utilitarianism is a radical theory

Utilitarian ethics often conflict with conventional morality and deeply rooted cultural norms.

Rule utilitarianism

We ought to act according to a set of rules that would lead to optimal consequences, if they were to be accepted by an overwhelming majority of people in society. (ex. Don't lie)

Which of the following is true of utilitarianism?

Whether an act is permissible depends on the consequences it brings about

Which is NOT true of preference utilitarianism?

because the focus is on individual preferences, this type of utilitarianism is considered a relativist theory.

Which of the following are important distinctions for contemporary utilitarians?

particular acts vs. act types expected vs. actual consequences act vs. rule utilitarianism

What is the essential determiner of moral value for utilitarians?

sentience - the capacity for perception (can include animal world)

Which of the following is an example of an act type?

studying hard being kind to other people