PHIL 1550 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7-8: Act Utilitarianism, Rule Utilitarianism, Consequentialism
5 Dec 2017
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A general approach to ethics that states only consequences can determine what is morally right or wrong. All of our actions and behaviours has consequences. Consequentialist theories define what is morally right based upon its effects and consequences. Since there are morally wrong pleasures (child pornography), we must treat desire as happiness a state of mind related to personal fulfilment. Allow us to distinguish between higher pleasures and lower pleasures. Mill thought the lower pleasures deserved less moral weight. To know what the higher pleasures are, mill concluded that we ask those familiar with both pleasures. Defines the morally acceptable action for a particular situation as the act that would produce the greatest over all utility. To know what act would give the greatest utility, we must consider the scope, duration, intensity, and probability of every possible act in a given situation. Scope: the individuals who are affected by an act.
