Bentham vs Kant

• Bentham

  The action which is right produces the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people
• Act Utilitarianism


  Bentham's ethical theory
• Hedonism


  Bentham's approach inspired by Greek and Roman society, where the focus is on enjoying oneself without regard for consequences
• Hedonism leads to anarchy
• Utility Principle


  Bentham's theory that the right action is the one that produces the greatest pleasure and the least pain for the greatest number of people
• Hedonic Calculus


  • Bentham's 7 criteria to calculate the greatest pleasure: intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity, extent
• Utilitarian Decision Making

  Principle of utility suggests humans are motivated by pain and pleasure, role of morality is to enhance pleasure and reduce pain for the greatest number, hedonic calculus to measure pleasure and pain
• Mill's Rule Utilitarianism

  Some things in life are more valuable in terms of quality not quantity, protect the minority by putting in place rules
• Mill's Utility Principle

  Achieving the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people
• Higher and Lower Pleasures

  Higher pleasures like reading, safety, long time span are better than lower pleasures like food, touch, short time span
• Kantian Ethics

  Deontological, based on duty and moral absolutes, use of categorical imperatives and universalizability, treating people as ends in themselves
• Kant and Religion

  Supports Jesus as a moral example, argues for a 'church invisible' to promote ethical laws, but sees tensions between moral principles and religious traditions
• Kant's Decision Making

  Good will - motivated by following the moral law, Reason - potential for perfect rationality without external authority, Categorical Imperative - test actions by whether they could be universalized
• Kant's Worldview

  Phenomenal/physical realm driven by instinct, Noumenal/ideas realm driven by reason, Morality structured by human mind's a priori understanding, Humans should aim to inhabit the noumenal realm