Ethics Midterm Utilitarianism

Front 1

What is consequentialism?

Back 1

Do as much good as you can

--> choose the policy that is optimific (greatest amount of benefits vs drawbacks)

Front 2

What are the 5 steps to find the optimific solution?

Back 2

1. First,identify what is intrinsically good (valuable in and by itself) --> f.e. happiness,autonomy, knowledge

2. Next, identifywhat is intrinsically bad (bad in and by itself) --> f.e. physical pain, mental anguish, sadistic impulses

3. Then determineall your options: Which actions are open to you at the moment?

4. For eachoption, determine the value of its results. How much of what is intrinsicallygood will each action bring? How much of what is intrinsically bad?

5. Finally, pickthe action that yields the best balance – highest ratio of good to bad results --> = the optimific choice

Front 3

What does act utilitarianism say?

Back 3

well-being is the only thing that is intrinsically valuable

Front 4

How does John Stuart Mill summarise the utilitarian outlook?

Back 4

It is required to create the greatest good for the greatest number

Front 5

What are 2 common misunderstandings of John Stuart Mill's outlook?

Back 5

1. In choosing among acts that benefit people,we must benefit the greatest number of people --> Mill rejects this --> very high benefits toa small amount of people may be larger than very small benefits to large amountof people

2. We must always choose that action thatcreates the greatest amount of happiness --> Mill rejects this --> we also have to takeinto account potential misery caused by the action

Front 6

In what way do followers of utilitarianism differ in the way they look at the results of actions?

Back 6

Most look at the actual results, some others look at the expected results

Front 7

What is meant by the statement that utilitarianism is a doctrine of impartiability?

Back 7

Welfare of each person is equally morally valuable

Front 8

When is a moral rule absolute?

Back 8

When it cannot be violated under any circumstances

Front 9

Why is utilitarianism a doctrine of moral flexibility?

Back 9

Because no moral rule is absolute

Front 10

What is the slippery slope argument?

Back 10

Designed to criticize certain social innovations onthe grounds that allowing them will lead to terrible results in the long run(f.e. if we allow doctors to euthanize terminally ill patients, we could aftera while become so morally corrupted that we don’t think that killing is badanymore)

Front 11

What is a decision procedure?

Back 11

A method for reliably guiding our decisions

Front 12

What is a standard of rightness?

Back 12

Something that tells us the conditions that make actions morally right

Front 13

What is a supererogation?

Back 13

An action that is above and beyond the call of duty(f.e. going into a burning house to save a stranger) --> Utilitarians deny this concept and state that nothing is above and beyond thecall of duty

Front 14

What is the argument in favour of utilitarianism?

Back 14

1. Argument from marginal cases

Front 15

Explain the argument from marginal cases

Back 15

1. If it is immoral tokill and eat “marginal” human beings, and to painfully experiment on them, thenit is immoral to treat non-human animals this way

2. It is (almost)always immoral to kill and eat “marginal” human beings, and to painfullyexperiment on them

3. Therefore, it is(almost) always immoral to kill and eat animals, and to painfully experiment onthem

--> Author state that some disagree with premise 1

Front 16

What are the arguments against utilitarianism?

Back 16

1. Argument from value measurement

2. Argument from injustice

Front 17

What is the argument from value measurement?

Back 17

1. Utilitarianism istrue only if there is a precise unit of measurement that can determine thevalue of an action’s result

2. There is no suchunit of measurement

3. Therefore,utilitarianism is false

--> utilitarians reject premise 1

Front 18

What is the argument from injustice?

Back 18

1. The correct moraltheory will never require us to commit serious injustices

2. Utilitarianismsometimes requires us to commit serious injustices

3. Thereforeutilitarianism is not the correct moral theory

--> 4 responses to this argument:

1. Justice is also intrinsically valuable

2. Injustice in never optimific

3. Justice must sometimes be sacrificed

4. Rule consequentialism

Front 19

Explain the 'slavery problem' of consequentialism

Back 19

If enough people are sufficiently mean or ignorantutilitarianism can require that we allow the suffering they cause (f.e. ifenough people dislike a certain minority group, slavery of this group isrequired according to utilitarianism)

Front 20

What is rule consequentialism?

Back 20

Theview that an action is morally right just because it is required by anoptimific social rule

Front 21

What is an optimific social rule?

Back 21

If (almost) everybody in a society is willing toaccept it

Front 22

What are the 3 steps to check if something is an optimific social rule?

Back 22

1. Carefully describethe rule

2. Imagine what asociety would be like if just about everyone in it endorsed the rule

3. Then ask thisquestion: will that society be better off with this rule than with anycompeting rule?

Front 23

In which three areas is utilitarianism too demanding?

Back 23

1. Deliberation --> too much information to consider

2. Motivation --> constantly strategising about how to improve the world doesn't work

3. Action --> utilitarianism requires a saint's motivation