KEY WORDS
The principle of utility: the right choice is the one which brings
about the greatest good for most people
Deontological: Duty based ethics – focused on intrinsic rightness or
wrongness of an action
Teleological: looking at the telos of an action to determine if it’s right
or wrong
Hedonic Calculus: the system for calculating the amount of pleasure
or pain generated
Consequentialism: ethical theories focused on the consequences of
actions, not the act itself or agents' character
Hedonistic: Pleasure driven
Act utilitarianism: weighs up each individual act on each occasion
Rule utilitarianism: Weighs up what to do in principle, in all
occasions of a certain kind
Utility: usefulness
, Hedonism – Pleasure is the chief good
- Often used negatively to mean selfish pleasure seeking
- Bentham believes that everything we do is motivated by avoiding pain
and gaining pleasure, which is the essence of hedonism.
- Whatever you claim your motivations to be, you are wishing to seek
pleasure and avoid pain.
The principle of utility
- Bentham was concerned about social reform and the condition of
masses, ‘for the greatest number' suggests it operates on a
democratic hedonism and is society focused.
- Also, teleological and consequentialist. List of forbidden and permitted
activities shouldn’t exist (deontology) and the outcome is the only
thing that matters.
Bentham’s theory: The Hedonic Calculus
- Categories the amount of pain and pleasure an action produces
- He was an enlightenment thinker, focused on using science and reason
to ascertain knowledge.
- It takes all available options in a scenario and weighs up the pain and
pleasure generated by each in order to decide which option to follow.
- It took the following factors into account:
Purity : is it likely for pain to be mixed with pleasure?
Remoteness : How near is the pleasure to you?
Extent : How universal will the pleasure be?
Duration : How long will the pleasure last?
Intensity : How intense will pleasure be?
Certainty : How certain is it pleasure will be the result of each action?
To be followed by (Fecundity) : Will it produce other pleasures?
The principle of utility: the right choice is the one which brings
about the greatest good for most people
Deontological: Duty based ethics – focused on intrinsic rightness or
wrongness of an action
Teleological: looking at the telos of an action to determine if it’s right
or wrong
Hedonic Calculus: the system for calculating the amount of pleasure
or pain generated
Consequentialism: ethical theories focused on the consequences of
actions, not the act itself or agents' character
Hedonistic: Pleasure driven
Act utilitarianism: weighs up each individual act on each occasion
Rule utilitarianism: Weighs up what to do in principle, in all
occasions of a certain kind
Utility: usefulness
, Hedonism – Pleasure is the chief good
- Often used negatively to mean selfish pleasure seeking
- Bentham believes that everything we do is motivated by avoiding pain
and gaining pleasure, which is the essence of hedonism.
- Whatever you claim your motivations to be, you are wishing to seek
pleasure and avoid pain.
The principle of utility
- Bentham was concerned about social reform and the condition of
masses, ‘for the greatest number' suggests it operates on a
democratic hedonism and is society focused.
- Also, teleological and consequentialist. List of forbidden and permitted
activities shouldn’t exist (deontology) and the outcome is the only
thing that matters.
Bentham’s theory: The Hedonic Calculus
- Categories the amount of pain and pleasure an action produces
- He was an enlightenment thinker, focused on using science and reason
to ascertain knowledge.
- It takes all available options in a scenario and weighs up the pain and
pleasure generated by each in order to decide which option to follow.
- It took the following factors into account:
Purity : is it likely for pain to be mixed with pleasure?
Remoteness : How near is the pleasure to you?
Extent : How universal will the pleasure be?
Duration : How long will the pleasure last?
Intensity : How intense will pleasure be?
Certainty : How certain is it pleasure will be the result of each action?
To be followed by (Fecundity) : Will it produce other pleasures?
