PHILOS 2D03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Act Utilitarianism

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHILOS 2D03
• Professor: Sikkema

Document Summary

Utility: pleasure itself, together with the e(cid:454)e(cid:373)ptio(cid:374) of pai(cid:374)(cid:863) : utility is whatever increases pleasure in the widest possible sense and decreases pain in the widest possible sense => happiness. I(cid:374)(cid:272)e (cid:862)pleasure a(cid:374)d freedo(cid:373) fro(cid:373) pai(cid:374) are the o(cid:374)l(cid:455) thi(cid:374)gs desira(cid:271)le as e(cid:374)ds(cid:863) a normative claim follows. Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness . Of two pleasures, the one that has a superior quality will be given preference. The (cid:858)competent judge(cid:859) will (cid:272)o(cid:374)siste(cid:374)tl(cid:455) prefer a(cid:374)d seek to satisf(cid:455) those pleasures that a(cid:272)(cid:272)ord with our (cid:858)higher faculties(cid:859) Higher faculties involve qualitatively greater pleasures than the lower and these ought to be preferred to the lower when they are competing. Mill: (cid:862)it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. (cid:863)