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OU PHIL 1273 - Utilitarianism's Problems and Alternatives

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PHIL 1273 1st EditionLecture 7Outline of Last Lecture I. UtilitarianismA. BenthamB. MillsC. Discussion of UtilitarianismOutline of Current Lecture I. Discussion of UtilitarianismA. Focus on ActionsB. Ignorance of RightsC. ProblemsD. AlternativesCurrent LectureI. Discussion of UtilitarianismA. Focused on actions and how humans evaluate those actions to gain widespread welfare1. Observe the effects as a form of consequentialisma. Positive effects mean an action is rightb. Negative effects mean an action is wrong2. Defines moral correctness in terms of the effects of an action3. An action is good based on the degree of happiness it achieves among peoplea. Pleasure is the sovereign masterb. An action is not good in and of itself, but instead out of the pleasure it providesc. Apply predicted consequences across a group of people to obtain net pleasure createdd. Balanced across a population, within individuals, and over time4. Democratic: dependent upon majority rulea. Everyone’s pleasure and pain holds the same weightB. Not friendly to rights – only considers welfare and utility1. Bentham: opinion of natural and universal rights: “nonsense on stilts”2. “scapegoat” problemsa. Nora Tilden case involves the mistreat of an individual who has just as much right to life as anyone elseThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.b. Trolley Problems discuss a violation of the overweight individual’s rightsc. Omelas case violates child’s rights in favor of community’s happinessC. Problem: how to measure and compare utility1. Issue of quality aside, focus on the strictly quantitative2. No “happiness meter” no standard units across individuals, regardless of the complex calculation of hedonic calculus3. Difficult to regulate with inner feelings and sympathetic objectionD. Alternate conception of utility1. Look beyond pleasure alone2. Higher order pleasure exists: obtaining desires provides satisfaction of wantsa. Shows that humans make choices between pleasuresb. Utility as “preference satisfaction”c. Recognizes human as choosing entities3. Advantage of preference satisfactiona. Amount to which people are willing to pay (WTP) to fulfill preferenceb. Justification of free marketc. Basis of cost-benefit analysis (CBA)a. Attribute dollar figure to costs ($C)b. Attribute dollar figure to benefits ($B)c. If $B > $C, the action is rightd. Debatea. Are costs and benefits “commeasurable,” or measureable on the same scale?b. Issue of distribution of costs and benefits unequally amongthose involved (who receives how much of the two


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OU PHIL 1273 - Utilitarianism's Problems and Alternatives

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