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Consequentialism. Is it OK to inflict pain on someone else?. What if it is a small amount of pain to prevent a great deal of suffering?. Consequentialism. Consequentialism. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Is it OK to inflict pain on someone else?
What if it is a small amount of pain to prevent a great deal of suffering?
o Ethical theory that judges the moral rightness or wrongness of an act according to the desirability of its consequences
Two questions must be asked
What has intrinsic value?
Who should receive this value?
Intrinsic Value: Value that is good or desirable in itself
Instrumental Value: Value is judged in terms of achievement of other ends
People should always act to promote their own self interest
Note -- egoism should not be confused with being an egotist-- a self centered person with an inflated ego
What has intrinsic value?
Self Interest (Happiness)
Who should receive this value?
Me
Hedonism: Moral rightness of an actions depends upon how much pleasure or pain it produces.
Not concerned with gratifying immediate desires
Concerned with promoting our objective (long term) self interest
What does it mean to act in your self interest?
Pursue those ends that will contribute to your personal happiness
Maximize our own good an well being
“Love and friendship are profoundly personal, selfish values…. One gains a profoundly personal, selfish joy from the mere existence of the person one loves. It is one’s own personal, selfish happiness that one seeks, earns and derives from love”
How would an ethical egoist justify the following?
Putting your life at risk to save a loved one.
Giving money to a worthy charity
Helping your neighbor move
What has intrinsic value?
Pleasure (Happiness)
Who should receive this value?The greatest number of people
Ethical theory that maintains that the morally right act is the one that promotes the greatest good for the greatest number of people
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1842)
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
A traffic light should be installed at the intersection to prevent accidents
The person who stole your money must be punished to deter future crime
All citizens will be required to pay income tax
The speed limit on highways should be 65 mph
Act-utilitarianism:
affirms that the right action is the one that directly produces the best balance of happiness over unhappiness for all concerned
Rule-utilitarianism: says that the morally
right action is the one that, if followed as a general rule, would produce the greatest overall good, all instances and everyone considered
What has intrinsic value? Is pleasure or happiness the ultimate
goal in life?
Who should receive this value?Can we justify seemingly immoral acts on utilitarian grounds?