Introduction to Act Utilitarianism(27/11/23)

• Norm = standard
• Teleological Theories = looks at consequnces/results of actions
• Consequentialist Theory = someone who decides whether an action is good or bad by it's consequences
• Utilitarianism is a naturalist ethical theory. This means actions are defined in terms of natural properties.
• Goodness and Badness is about the ends (things sought) rather than how you seek them (means)
• Utilitarians believe the greatest good is = the thing that achieves the greatest result for the greatest number; irrespective of what has been done to achieve it
• Jeremy Bentham (1748 -1832) was a pioneer of Utilitarianism.
• The Principle of Utility approves or rejects every action to encourage actions that achieve the greatest good for the greatest number.
• According to Bentham, The Principle of Utility was the 'sum of intrest of all in the community'
• 'It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong' - A Fragment on Government (1891)
• Utilitariansim is a different type of relativist theory because it is a democratic form of relativism that maximises the balance of good over evil.
• Cultural Relativism = relativism may be based on personal and cultural traditions
• Commission = doing
• Omission = not doing
• Normative ethics = ethics based on the norm
• Bentham has been described as a hedonist; someone who searches for pleasure with no pain attached
• The first point on the Hedonic Calculus is Intensity. This is a measure of how deep the pleasure is.
• The second point on the Hedonic Calculus is Duration. This is how long the pleasure lasts.
• The third point on the Hedonic Calculus is probability. This is how likely the action is to give you pleasure.
• The fourth point on the Hedonic Calculus is Propinquity. This whether the pleasure will last a long time with ripples or be immediate.
• The fifth point on the Hedonic Calculus is Fecundity. This is how likely the action is to be followed by sensations of a similar kind.
• The sixth point on the Hedonic Calculus is Punity. This means how likely it is not to be followed by sensations of the opposite kind.
• The seventh point on the Hedonic Calculus is Extent. This means the number of people affected.
• The Hedonic Calculus was created by Bentham as way to measure pleasure.