What are the three formulations of the principle of utility—what Mill also calls "the greatest happiness principle"—that we discussed? What are the differences between each of them, and why did we modify them to identify what Mill really has in mind with the principle of utility he presents in ...
What is a first principle of morality, and how does accepting that there is one make
one both an ethical foundationalist and moral realist? In what way is a first principle
of morality a general "moral line in the sand" and what does that mean? - ANSWER
First principle of morality is the foundational principle that drives everything
Ex: Mill's principle of utility is his 1st principle
First principle tells us whether we should accept things such as kicking people in the
knee
First principle governs everything
Saying there is a 1st is to say there is an ethical foundation and it specifies how
things ought to be
Description of the ideals
laying out for us how things ought to be (Specifies the normativity)
Ethical foundationalist:
We evaluate, and we evaluate against something
We base, rank and organize any other moral principles we accept
Moral line in the sand: set of rules everyone should follow
Defines boundaries of acceptable behavior based on ethical standards
What are the three formulations of the principle of utility—what Mill also calls "the
greatest happiness principle"—that we discussed? What are the differences between
each of them, and why did we modify them to identify what Mill really has in mind
with the principle of utility he presents in Utilitarianism, Chapter 2? Of the three
formulations I gave you in class, which did I argue best captures what Mill had in
mind with the principle of utility and why? What does it mean to say that that
formulation of it conceives of moral justice as a comparative evaluation? - ANSWER
PU : An action A has positive moral status iff A tends to produce happiness
PU* : An action A is morally right iff A tends to produce only pleasure sensations
PU** : An action A1 is morally right iff there is no other action A2 that the agent could
have done instead that has higher net utility than A1
This is what Mill wants
Why have 3 forms?
Help us get from the text in the book to what he really means
PU** compares different actions and their respective outcomes, so we compare the
net utility of each
State and explain the net utility of an action and what it is a function of. What are
the seven metrics of the hedonic calculus that Mill and Bentham use as a means for
determining the net utility of an action? Why does Mill think these are helpful in
determining the net utility? What are the four steps of the act utilitarian decision
procedure, and how are the seven metrics relevant to it? - ANSWER Net utility:
overall happiness from the action minus the pain/unhappiness
7 metrics of the hedonic calculus from Mill and Bentham
1) Intensity~ strength of the pleasure/pain
2) Duration~ How long pleasure or pain lasts
3) Certainty~ Probability the pleasure/pain will occur
4) Propinquity~ how soon pleasure/pain occurs
5) Fecundity~ Likelihood of future pleasure/pain
6) Purity~ extent of possible side effects
7) Extent~ number of people affected
, Mill believes this gives a standard to compare actions in order to perceive happiness
and pain
Quantitative comparison
4 steps of Act Utilitarianism
1) Identify Action Options: Enumerate potential actions.
2) Evaluate Consequences: Apply hedonic calculus metrics to predict pleasure and
pain.
3) Calculate Net Utility: Sum up the balance of pleasure and pain.
4) Choose Action: Select the action with the highest net utility
The 4 steps of the decision procedure work with the quantitative values of the net
utility outcomes which help us make the best choice
What is the difference between an action directly affecting a morally relevant
creature and an action indirectly affecting a morally relevant creature? What is an
example of each? With which of the two types of "affectings" is utilitarianism
concerned and why? - ANSWER Directly affecting: direct impact on a morally
relevant creature and affects them immediately (giving food to hungry person →
person is healthier)
Indirectly affecting: action that leaves a secondary impact on a morally relevant
creature (school being built → contributes to education of future generations)
Both direct and indirect actions should be taken into account when concerned with
utilitarianism because regardless of the intention, an action may affect others which
should be factored into the net utility.
However, Direct actions are easier to quantify the net utility, hence utilitarians
typically look to this more
What is the difference between doing one's objective duty and doing one's
subjective duty? Which of the two types of duties is the focus of the principle of
utility? Which of the two types of duties is the focus of the act utilitarian decision
procedure? - ANSWER Objective duty: fulfilling an action that based on external,
moral principles or rules
Subjective moral duty: what you have good reason to think will bring about the
highest net utility.
Principle of Utility is concerned with how the world actually turns out
Principle of utility focuses on the objective duty because it generally contributes to
maximizing overall happiness and is usually more beneficial for everyone rather than
subjective which is self motivated
The decision process is the subjective duty part, which helps get the subjective duty
as close to the objective duty as possible
Act Utilitarianism focuses on subjective duties that align with maximizing happiness
in particular situations
State and explain the theories called psychological hedonism, hedonism proper,
and ethical hedonism. What makes a theory a psychological theory versus an ethical
theory? What exactly does Mill mean by saying that the term 'happiness' means
pleasure and the term 'unhappiness' means pain? - ANSWER Psychological
Hedonism (descriptive): we want the most pleasure and the smallest amount of pain,
this is the goal of life
willing to take pain in order to get less pain or get more pleasure
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