Fundamental principle of morality: greatest happiness principle Right acts- tend to increase happiness, decrease pain Wrong acts- tend to decrease happiness, increase pain
Happiness- pleasure
Types of pleasure 1. Lower a. Sensation b. Bodily c. Animal 2. Higher d. Intellectual e. Higher faculties- intellect, imagination, moral sentiments
Greatest happiness principle Happiness of everyone involved Disinterested spectator towards your own happiness * * Objections Ch. 2 * Too high for humanity objection- “They say it is exacting too much to require that people shall always act from the inducement of promoting the general interests of society.” Pg 18 * Reply: Utilitarian ism doesn’t require the motive of all human kind. * Utilitarianism requires action * Motive vs. intention * Motive * Feeling that makes you have that intention. Why you have that intention * Intention * Forward looking consequences * * Unsympathizing Objection- “It is often affirmed that utilitarianism renders men cold and unsympathizing; that it chills their moral feeling toward individuals; that it makes them regard only the dry and hard consideration of the consequences of actions, not taking into their moral estimate the qualities from which those actions emanate.” Pg 20 * Reply: character of someone doesn’t matter * Intended vs actual consequences * “Certainly no known ethical standard decides an action to be good or bad because it is done by a good or bad man, still less because done by an amiable, a brave, or a benevolent man, or the contrary. These considerations are relevant, not to the estimation of actions, but of persons; and there is nothing in the utilitarian theory inconsistent with the fact that there are other things which interest us in persons besides the rightness and wrongness of their actions.” * * There’s no time objection- “There is not time, previous to action, for calculating and weighing the effects of any line of conduct on the general happiness.” * Reply * First principle – greatest happiness principle * Secondary principle – don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal, donate * Bubble thing?^ * * Sanctions * External * Other people * God * Internal- conscience * Natural basis- social feeling of mankind * * MISSING DAY FROM CH 3 * * Ch