Principle of Utility

in Utilitarianism

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The Principle
Classical Utilitarianism
Moral agent

Consequences
“The principle of utility is the ultimate
principle of morality.”
Public Interest

Critiques
- Jeremy Bentham

Pleasure?

Consequence?
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)

Reflections Principle of Utility

Selfless Always choose whatever action or social
Possible policy would have the best consequence for
conclusions
everyone concerned.
Inevitable?

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The Principle
• Why people with terminal illness cannot be
Moral agent helped to die, i.e., euthanasia?
Consequences – God believer: life is a gift from God
Public Interest – Utilitarian: depends on the consequence

Critiques • Is violence always wrong?

Pleasure? – Social norm/public opinion: violence by
Consequence? nature is wrong
– Utilitarian: depends on the consequence
Reflections

Selfless The revolution in ethics: from “belief” to

Possible “reasoning”, from “following moral codes” to
conclusions
“making moral judgments”.
Inevitable?

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The Principle • How to make moral judgments?
Moral agent – Not to follow social norms, religious
Consequences teachings, universal values...
Public Interest – “Always choose whatever action or
social policy would have the best
Critiques consequence for everyone concerned.”
Pleasure?

Consequence? Curriculum Reform

Means Negotiation --> protest -->
Reflections
Strike --> ?
Selfless

Possible
Consequences Reform of not?
conclusions

Inevitable?

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The Principle • Unit of Utility:
Moral agent – Pleasure is the most important
Consequences
intrinsic good
Public Interest
– Examples of Hedonist slogans:
• “Food, sex and wine!”
Critiques • “If Jesus died for your sins,
Pleasure?
why not enjoy them all?”
Consequence?

For Classical Utilitarianism, not the pleasure

Reflections (over pain) of oneself but the pleasure of
the community:
Selfless
“Always choose whatever action or social
Possible
conclusions policy would have the best consequence
Inevitable? for everyone concerned.”
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The Principle
• No one will be ignored:
Moral agent

Consequences

Public Interest

Critiques

Pleasure?

Consequence?

Reflections

Selfless

Possible
conclusions

Inevitable?

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Is Pleasure the Only Thing that Matters?

Robert Nozick (Contemporary American philosopher)

John Stuart Mill (19th century British philosopher)
The Principle Nozick’s Thought Experiment
Moral agent

Consequences
• Robert Nozick’s thought experiment “The
Public Interest
Experience Machine” (1974):
– “Suppose there was an experience
machine that would give you any
Critiques
experience you desired…you would think
Pleasure? and feel you were writing a great novel, or
Consequence? making a friend, or reading an interesting
book. All the time you would be floating in
a tank, with electrodes attached to your
Reflections
brain. Should you plug into this machine
Selfless for life, preprogramming your life
Possible experiences? …Of course, while in the
conclusions
tank you won’t know that you’re there;
Inevitable? you’ll think that it’s all actually
happening…Would you plug in?”
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The Principle Nozick’s Thought Experiment
Moral agent

Consequences • The movie “The Matrix” (1999) ：

Public Interest – The real world is a ravaged
wasteland where most of humanity
Critiques have been captured by machines
Pleasure?
that live off of the humans’ body
heat and electrochemical energy and
Consequence?
who imprison their minds within an
artificial reality known as the Matrix.
Reflections

Selfless

Possible
conclusions

Inevitable?

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The Principle

Moral agent
• Reality or Pleasure?
Consequences
– The leader of rebels offers Neo a choice
between a red pill that will allow him to
Public Interest
learn the truth about the Matrix, and a blue
pill that will return him to his old life.
Critiques

Pleasure? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rrPP-QOF3k
Consequence?

Reflections

Selfless

Possible
conclusions

Inevitable?

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The Principle
• Suppose the reality is:
Moral agent – Assignments, group projects,
Consequences presentations, exams…
Public Interest
– Work-life imbalance
– “Birth is dukkha (suffering), aging is
Critiques
dukkha, illness is dukkha, death is
Pleasure?
dukkha” ( 生、老、病、死皆苦 ).
Consequence?

Reflections

Selfless

Possible
conclusions

Inevitable?

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The Principle
Conditions:
Moral agent

Consequences
• A one-way trip;
Public Interest • You’ll think that it’s all actually
happening;
Critiques
• Give you any experience you
Pleasure?
desired.
Consequence?

Reflections

Selfless

Possible
conclusions

Inevitable?

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The Principle • Robert Nozick’s argument:
Moral agent 1) We want to do certain things and
Consequences do not just have the experience of
Public Interest
having done them.
2) We want to be certain people – to
Critiques plug in is to commit a form of
“suicide”.
Pleasure?
3) If all that mattered to us was
Consequence?
pleasure, then we would want to
plug-in.
Reflections
4) However, we would not want to
Selfless
plug-in; there are things which
Possible
conclusions
matter to us besides pleasure.
Inevitable?

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Robert Nozick (1938-2002)
The Principle Mill’s Revolution
Moral agent

Consequences Nozick questioned the legitimacy of

Public Interest assuming “pleasure” as the shared
ultimate goal but not the principle of
Critiques
utility.
Pleasure?

Consequence?
 “Some kinds of pleasure are more
desirable and more valuable than
Reflections others.”
Selfless  Satisfaction (Happiness) >
Possible
conclusions
Enjoyment (Pleasure)
Inevitable?

John Stuart Mill

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(1806-1873)
The Principle
Solves the Problem or
Moral agent Complicates it Further?
Consequences

Public Interest
“Pain makes me grow!
For me pain is pleasure!”
Critiques

Pleasure? “Good! I love bodybuilding,

Consequence?
let’s force everyone in 38th Governor
IFBB Mr. Olympia
(Seven Times!?) California go to the gym!” of California

Reflections

Selfless
For someone pain is “satisfaction”; but for
Possible
conclusions the majority pain is just pain – How to
Inevitable?
determine which one is better?

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The Principle
Is Pleasure the Only Thing
Moral agent that Matters?
Consequences
– The best consequence cannot be
Public Interest
determined if:
Critiques
• No standard unit of utility, i.e. different
Utilitarians may have different
Pleasure?
assumptions;
Consequence?
• Fail to measure the quality and quantity
of any agreed utility.
Reflections

Selfless

Possible
conclusions

Inevitable?

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Cost-benefit analysis
Are consequences all that matter?
The Principle

Moral agent
• Considerations of Justice:
Consequences

Public Interest
→Your group has been found guilty of
plagiarism in the final year project. Now
you have two choices:
Critiques (1)The whole group commit guilty but
probably all of you will be dismissed
Pleasure?
from UST;
Consequence?
(2)Three of you report to the supervisor
that Billy (successor of a business
Reflections
empire, dismissal from UST means
Selfless
nothing to him) should be responsible
Possible
conclusions for the dishonesty. Billy will be
Inevitable?
dismissed but you will have a second
chance to resubmit the report.
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The Principle
• Violation of Rights (Example from
Sandel’s book):
Moral agent

Consequences

Public Interest
– Torture a suspect for avoiding a
bomb attack
Critiques • Thousands of innocent lives will be
lost if the bomb explodes >
Pleasure?
Torture inflicts pain on the suspect
Consequence?

Reflections

Selfless

Possible
conclusions

Inevitable?
Unthinkable (2010)
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The Principle The Revolution in Ethics
Moral agent

Consequences • Degrading Heroic Sacrifice:

Public Interest – Collective interests >>> individual
interests
Critiques – Torture the suspect, the little girl, and
Pleasure? yourselves are all the same, no extra
Consequence?
credit for your heroic acts.

Reflections

Selfless

Possible
conclusions

Inevitable? How can you condemn a selfless utilitarian?

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The Principle The Revolution in Ethics
Moral agent

Consequences • Are you shocked by the utilitarian

Public Interest moral theory?
– “It is morally wrong if you do not report
Critiques to the supervisor that Billy should be
Pleasure? responsible for the dishonesty!?”
Consequence? – “You should torture yourselves,
otherwise you are immoral.”
Reflections

Selfless
*Possible conclusions,
Possible
conclusions
not necessary conclusions!
Inevitable?

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The Principle The Revolution in Ethics
Moral agent

Consequences

Public Interest

Critiques

Pleasure?

Consequence?

Reflections

Selfless

Possible
conclusions

Inevitable?

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The Principle Starting Point for All Moral Arguments?
Moral agent

Consequences • Is the principle of utility the starting point for

Public Interest all moral arguments?
– “People may say that they believe in certain
absolute, categorical duties or rights. But they
Critiques
would have no basis for defending these duties or
Pleasure? right unless they believed that respecting them
would maximize human happiness, at least in the
Consequence?
long run…When a man attempts to combat the
principle of utility…it is with a reasons drawn,
Reflections without his being aware of it, from that very
principle itself…the only premise, the only starting
Selfless point for moral argument, according to Bentham,
Possible is the principle of utility.” (M. Sandel, 2010)
conclusions

Inevitable? – Immanuel Kant will say no.

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