Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is an example of utilitarianism mentioned in the text?
What is an example of utilitarianism mentioned in the text?
- Establishing a Food Donation Program
- Fixing faulty brakes in cars
- Donating clothes to people in need
- Building a highway by bulldozing someone's home (correct)
How does utilitarianism relate to redistribution of money from the rich to the poor?
How does utilitarianism relate to redistribution of money from the rich to the poor?
- Encouraging wealth accumulation
- Maximizing overall happiness (correct)
- Supporting economic inequality
- Promoting individual rights
If a CEO applies a utilitarian approach to a situation, what would they prioritize?
If a CEO applies a utilitarian approach to a situation, what would they prioritize?
- Avoiding any costs related to product recalls
- Ensuring customer safety and satisfaction (correct)
- Maximizing shareholder profits
- Ignoring customer complaints
In the context of utilitarianism, why is fostering transparent and effective communication important?
In the context of utilitarianism, why is fostering transparent and effective communication important?
How does a food donation program align with utilitarian principles?
How does a food donation program align with utilitarian principles?
Which action demonstrates utilitarianism in addressing faulty brakes in cars according to the text?
Which action demonstrates utilitarianism in addressing faulty brakes in cars according to the text?
What is ethics defined as in the text?
What is ethics defined as in the text?
How does ethics study man according to the text?
How does ethics study man according to the text?
What do ethics propose for how man ought to live his life?
What do ethics propose for how man ought to live his life?
Who are mentioned as philosophers in the text?
Who are mentioned as philosophers in the text?
What does ethics examine according to the text?
What does ethics examine according to the text?
According to utilitarianism, what is the basis for judging the rightness of an action?
According to utilitarianism, what is the basis for judging the rightness of an action?
Who are the two proponents of utilitarianism?
Who are the two proponents of utilitarianism?
What is the principle of utility in utilitarianism concerned with?
What is the principle of utility in utilitarianism concerned with?
According to Bentham, what are the two sovereign masters that govern human behavior?
According to Bentham, what are the two sovereign masters that govern human behavior?
What distinguishes higher pleasures from lower pleasures in utilitarianism?
What distinguishes higher pleasures from lower pleasures in utilitarianism?
Which concept in utilitarianism states that an action is considered right if it brings happiness to the greatest number of people?
Which concept in utilitarianism states that an action is considered right if it brings happiness to the greatest number of people?
Study Notes
Utilitarianism
- A moral/ethical theory that emphasizes the maximization of overall happiness or pleasure
- Founded by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill
- Key principle: Right action/Moral act = Results to a useful consequence = Results to happiness or good
Principle of Utility
- Actions are judged based on their usefulness to produce benefit, advantage, pleasure, good, or happiness
- Focuses on the consequences of an action
Sovereign Masters
- Two supreme powers that drive human behavior: Pleasure and Pain
- Examples of Pleasure: Ice cream, gifts, vacation, perfect score
- Examples of Pain: Hunger, being fired, no money, heartbreak
Higher and Lower Pleasures
- Higher pleasures: Intellectual pleasures unique to humans (e.g., music, art)
- Lower pleasures: Base pleasures also present in beasts (e.g., food, sex, self-gratification)
Principle of the Greatest Number
- An action is right when it brings happiness/pleasure to the greatest number of people
- Examples: Bulldozing someone's home for a highway, redistributing excess money from the rich to the poor
Ethics
- Combines with Science and Art
- Definition: The science and art of learning, teaching, cooking, management, etc.
- Ethics as a Science: The study of the morality of human acts
- Ethics as a branch of knowledge: Deals with moral principles that govern a person's behavior
Human Acts
- Intentional actions, such as walking, reading, playing
- Distinguished from instinctual acts, such as blinking, dreaming, feeling full or hungry
Ethics and Morality
- Ethics studies man as a moral being, able to distinguish between right and wrong
- Immoral actions: Cheating, answering back to parents
- Moral actions: Trying dogs to serve as guards
Philosophers
- People who seek wisdom and enlightenment
- Examples: Plato, Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, Jesus, Socrates, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Emmanuel Kant
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Description
Learn about Utilitarianism, the moral/ethical theory by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Understand how the principle of utility determines right actions based on producing happiness or good consequences.
