Class Notes - Bentham & Kant

Bentham
&
Kant

, Bentham’s Utilitarianism
6- 10 / SE17 Utilitarianism
Theory type? consequentialist ethical theory
-

A

Associated with Jeremy Bentham
-




meaning of ↳ The name comes
from his idea of a theory of
?
usefulness
name



key word? -




utility
=
the usefulness of the results of actions


Bentham

B's
type ? Act utilitarianism → based around
singular acts
-




-
wanted to develop an ethical theory which
what did he

want to
develop? to
established whether
something was good or bad according
its benefit for the majority of people .




After a science of ethics
-




Name of KI ? His
key idea is called the Principle of Utility
-




Principle of Utility
written as ? "
the
often expressed the
greatest good for greatest
→
-
as

of people ( G4 4GN)
"
number
Good? Good happiness or pleasure
=
-




Quantitative? Quantitative focuses on the number
greatest
-
=


?
Meaning ↳ The
good act is the most pleasurable one



Bentham
what is
Equated happiness with pleasure and the absence
-




happiness ?
of pain
Observation -

This was an empirical observation -



people desire

type ? pleasure and seek to avoid pain
called pleasure and pain the sovereign
'
two
-




key phrase? '

masters
↳ These are what motivates people to act
what is this?
'
this is what is
'
-
called ethical hedonism
2nd key phrase? H is the
↳
pursuit of pleasure
Hedonism
what is '


chief good
'
The view that pleasure is the
-

.




pleasure?




Summary : Utilitarianism is
consequentialist theory associated a

with Bentham
centering around usefulness Bentham's theory is
, .




focused on single acts that create the greatest good for the greatest
number of people This means it's a
good act if it creates the most
.




'


pain & pleasure sovereign
'
amount of pleasure . He calls the two masters .

, Bentham’s Utilitarianism
6 .

I 0 / SE17
Bentham's approach
what is the -

Moral acts = maximise pleasure / minimise pain
calculation ? ↳ utilitarian calculus ( Happiness =
pleasure minus pain )
An act
when is an is moral
if it
brings the
greatest amount of pleasure
-




act moral ? and least pain
A
Example country has
slavery If 5-1 of the pop was
-
: .
.




what is
to the 95%
brought pleasure
an
enslaved ,
but that ,
then
extreme exp ?
.

it would be an ethical action .




What are Pou aims to →
promote happiness which is the supreme
-


,

the aims ? ethical value


Bentham & the Hedonic calculus
what is the
we should and maximise pleasure but is it
try
-


,


issue wl Measure?
easy to work out how much pleasure is created
by
an action ?
What did Bentham the hedonic calculus
proposed a
way
-


as

B propose ? to measure this
7
There are
factors in this method
-




Intensity How
strong 1 powerful is the pleasure?
-

→


Duration last?
How
long will it
'
→

Name and
certainty is the result of pleasure?
→
How likely
-




explain the
Remoteness How will the ?
pleasure
→
come
-



soon
7 criteria
Richness will it lead other /
further pleasure ?
→
to
.




Purity free from pain is it ?
How
'
→


Extent How many people does the pleasure
→
affect ?
•




↳ A
possible way of remembering this is DR. PRICE




summary :
Bentham says all pleasures are equal .
however ,
he
recognises
this is hard to measure .
So B created the Hedonic calculus This
,
.




includes 7 criteria that if followed can ,
measure the amount of pleasure
Following the acronym
' ' '

that II be created .
DR PRICE
. will ensure that
the 7 criterion are followed and remembered .