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Utilitarianism Theory: Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill
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Utilitarianism Theory: Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill

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Questions and Answers

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?

  • 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?

  • 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?

    <p>To maximize happiness and minimize negative impacts</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does a food donation program align with utilitarian principles?

    <p>It aims to benefit the community as a whole</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which action demonstrates utilitarianism in addressing faulty brakes in cars according to the text?

    <p>Conducting pre-production testing to enhance product quality</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is ethics defined as in the text?

    <p>The science and art of learning</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does ethics study man according to the text?

    <p>As a rational being who can distinguish between right and wrong</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do ethics propose for how man ought to live his life?

    <p>Meaningfully</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who are mentioned as philosophers in the text?

    <p>Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does ethics examine according to the text?

    <p>How man is accountable for his actions and their consequences</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to utilitarianism, what is the basis for judging the rightness of an action?

    <p>The consequences or results of the action</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who are the two proponents of utilitarianism?

    <p>Jeremy Bentham and John Lennon</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the principle of utility in utilitarianism concerned with?

    <p>Producing happiness or good outcomes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Bentham, what are the two sovereign masters that govern human behavior?

    <p>Pleasure and Pain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What distinguishes higher pleasures from lower pleasures in utilitarianism?

    <p>Lower pleasures are base instincts while higher pleasures are more intellectual accomplishments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which concept in utilitarianism states that an action is considered right if it brings happiness to the greatest number of people?

    <p>Principle of the Greatest Number</p> Signup and view all the answers

    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.

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