which course of action would utilitarianism require be taken?

Utilitarianism is a theory of morality that advocates actions that foster happiness or pleasure and oppose actions that cause unhappiness or harm. When directed toward making social, economic, or political decisions, a utilitarian philosophy would aim for the betterment of society as a whole.

Full Answer

What is utilitarianism and how does it work?

Utilitarianism offers a relatively straightforward method for deciding the morally right course of action for any particular situation we may find ourselves in. To discover what we ought to do in any situation, we first identify the various courses of action that we could perform.

What attitudes do most utilitarians take toward moral rules?

What attitudes do most utilitarians take toward moral rules? Many moral rules are absolute and must never be broken. Moral rules can be helpful but can be broken if doing so is optimific. Following moral rules is harmful and ought to be shunned. Utilitarians believe that the idea of a "moral rule" is incoherent.

What is the greatest difficulty with utilitarianism?

Perhaps the greatest difficulty with utilitarianism is that it fails to take into account considerations of justice. We can imagine instances where a certain course of action would produce great benefits for society, but they would be clearly unjust.

Is utilitarianism the age of self-interest?

In an era today that some have characterized as "the age of self-interest," utilitarianism is a powerful reminder that morality calls us to look beyond the self to the good of all. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the position of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.

How does a utilitarian determine the right course of action?

First, the utilitarian calculation requires that we assign values to the benefits and harms resulting from our actions and compare them with the benefits and harms that might result from other actions. But it's often difficult, if not impossible, to measure and compare the values of certain benefits and costs.

What is a good example of utilitarianism?

An example of utilitarianism that shows someone making an individual “good” choice that actually benefits the entire population can be seen in Bobby's decision to buy his sister, Sally, a car. Bobby buys Sally the car so that she can get back and forth to work.

When a utilitarian evaluates an action which of the following is most important?

When a utilitarian evaluates an action, which of the following is most important? The action's effects on everyone.

What is the goal of utilitarianism?

Utilitarians believe that the purpose of morality is to make life better by increasing the amount of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) in the world and decreasing the amount of bad things (such as pain and unhappiness).

How utilitarianism is being applied in the society?

In its political philosophy, utilitarianism bases the authority of government and the sanctity of individual rights upon their utility, thus providing an alternative to theories of natural law, natural rights, or social contract.

How is utilitarianism applied in the workplace?

Utilitarianism is therefore concerned with actions that produce benefit and avoid harm. Utilitarian workplace values include honesty, keeping promises, professionalism, caring for others, accountability and avoiding conflicts of interest.

Which consideration do utilitarians use to determine whether an action is morally right or wrong?

On utilitarian grounds, actions and inactions which benefit few people and harm more people will be deemed morally wrong while actions and inactions which harm fewer people and benefit more people will be deemed morally right.

What are the basic principles of utilitarianism?

1) The basic principle of Mill's Utilitarianism is the greatest happiness principle (PU): an action is right insofar as it maximizes general utility, which Mill identifies with happiness.

What are the 4 major points of utilitarianism?

Utilitarian theories generally share four elements: consequentialism, welfarism, impartiality, and aggregationism.

What makes an action utilitarian?

Utilitarianism holds that an action is right if it tends to promote happiness and wrong if it tends to produce sadness, or the reverse of happiness—not just the happiness of the actor but that of everyone affected by it.

What is the goal for utilitarianism quizlet?

The goal of utilitarianism is to? maximize the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

Which of the following might utilitarianism sometimes require select all correct options?

Which of the following might utilitarianism sometimes require? requires accurately predicting the outcomes of one's actions. morality requires whatever act is optimific. What does it mean to say a policy is optimific?

What are the advantages of utilitarianism?

One advantage of utilitarianism is that there is no need for measuring the good of an action for society.TRUE OR FALSE. FASLE. The most favorable aspect of applying utilitarianism is that it is easy to estimate the good that results from different actions. TRUE OR FALSE.

Who is the best known proponent of duty ethics?

John Stuart Mill is the best-known proponent of duty ethics.TRUE OR FALSE. TRUE. "Deontology" is another name for duty ethics.TRUE OR FALSE. TRUE. Under the traditional view of social responsibility, businesses owe a duty to take actions that maximize profits for shareholders.TRUE OR FALSE. TRUE.

What is a situation in which it is impossible to behave morally?

A situation in which it is impossible to behave morally. A situation in which one has two options, only one of which will have a good outcome. A situation in which one must choose between self-interest and morality. A situation in which a good person's life will be ruined, no matter what she does. B.

What is the morality of teleological theorists?

Teleological theorists all agree that#N#A. morality requires whatever act is optimistic.#N#B. well-being is the only thing that is intrinsically valuable.#N#C. all living things are members of the moral community.#N#D. all of the above.

Is there such a thing as duty in virtue ethics?

According to virtue ethics, the concept of duty is defined in terms of the concept of virtue. the concepts of duty and virtue are completely independent. there is no such thing as duty. the concept of virtue is defined in terms of the concept of duty. A.

Who was the first utilitarian?

Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) was the first of the “classical utilitarians”. Driven by a genuine desire for social reform, Bentham wanted to be as much involved in law, politics and economics as abstract philosophizing.

Why is Bentham's utilitarianism consequentialist?

Bentham’s Utilitarianism is consequentialist because the moral value of an action or event is determined entirely by the consequences of that event. The theory is also described as teleological for the same reason, based on the Greek word telos that means “end” or “purpose”.

What is the theory of well being?

Hedonism is a theory of well-being — a theory of how well a life is going for the person living that life. What separates Hedonism from other theories of well-being is that the hedonist believes that what defines a successful life is directly related to the amount of pleasure in that life; no other factors are relevant at all. Therefore, the more pleasure that a person experiences in their life then the better their life goes, and vice versa. Whereas other theories might focus on fulfilling desires people have, or an objective list of things such as friendship and health.

What is utility in Bentham's definition?

4 Utility is thus promoted when pleasure is promoted and when unhappiness is avoided.

Who was concerned about the problems facing the utilitarian theory put forward by Bentham?

John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) was concerned by many of the problems facing the utilitarian theory put forward by Bentham, but as a hedonist he did not wish to see the theory rejected. Mill sought to refine and improve the Benthamite utilitarian theory in order to create a successful version of Hedonistic Utilitarianism.

Is the Hedonic Calculus plausible?

However, whether or not measuring possible actions in terms of “units of pleasure” associated with them is actually plausible is very much an open question and so the problem of calculation is not necessarily solve d simply by the existence of the Hedonic Calculus. Consider the most recent highly pleasurable experience that you enjoyed and compare it to a highly pleasurable experience from earlier in your life. It may be that you cannot say confidently that one provided more pleasure than the other, especially if the experiences were extremely varied; perhaps winning a sporting trophy versus going on your first holiday. Pleasures that are so fundamentally different in nature may simply be incommensurable — they may be incapable of being measured by a common standard such as the Hedonic Calculus.

Is action A morally right or morally wrong?

If more pleasure follows as a consequence of “Action A” rather than “Action B”, then according to the fundamental axiom of Utilitarianism “Action A” should be undertaken and is morally right; choosing “Action B” would be morally wrong. In addition, Bentham’s Utilitarianism is Relativistic rather than Absolutist.

What is utilitarianism?

The principle of utilitarianism invites us to consider the immediate and the less immediate consequences of our actions. Given its insistence on summing the benefits and harms of all people, utilitarianism asks us to look beyond self-interest to consider impartially the interests of all persons affected by our actions.

Who wrote the principle of utilitarianism?

The principle of utilitarianism can be traced to the writings of Jeremy Bentham, who lived in England during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

What is the method of deciding the morally right course of action for any particular situation we may find ourselves in?

Utilitarianism offers a relatively straightforward method for deciding the morally right course of action for any particular situation we may find ourselves in. To discover what we ought to do in any situation, we first identify the various courses of action that we could perform.

What is utilitarian calculation?

First, the utilitarian calculation requires that we assign values to the benefits and harms resulting from our actions and compare them with the benefits and harms that might result from other actions. But it's often difficult, if not impossible, to measure and compare the values of certain benefits and costs.

Who defined benefits and harms in terms of pleasure and pain?

For example, Bentham defined benefits and harms in terms of pleasure and pain. John Stuart Mill, a great 19th century utilitarian figure, spoke of benefits and harms not in terms of pleasure and pain alone but in terms of the quality or intensity of such pleasure and pain. Today utilitarians often describe benefits and harms in terms ...

Is happiness a utilitarian standard?

The happiness which forms the utilitarian standard of what is right in conduct, is not... (one's) own happiness, but that of all concerned. As between his own happiness and that of others, utilitarianism requires him to be as strictly impartial as a disinterested and benevolent spectator.

Does utilitarianism care about lies?

So long as a course of action produces maximum benefits for everyone, utilitarianism does not care whether the benefits are produced by lies, manipulation, or coercion. Many of us use this type of moral reasoning frequently in our daily decisions.