Mill and Bentham’s Utilitarianism Rule and Act Utilitarianism 1806 – 1873 DO NOW: Draw the table below in your books. Discuss the similarities and differences between Bentham and Mill’s version of utilitarianism. Mill and Bentham’s Utilitarianism Similarities Differences

Mill and Bentham’s Utilitarianism Similarities Differences Bentham –quantity Mill- quality They both believe that the pain/pleasure calculus is inbuilt into human nature Bentham – pleasures all of the same value Mill- higher and lower pleasures Happiness is the highest goal Society exists to create happiness 10 mins plus feedback = 15 Bentham – system of hedonic calculus Mill- based on the application of logical to practical situation Belief in human progress Rejection of a priori moral truths

Act Utilitarianism: Bentham Bentham’s version is closest to act utilitarianism, which holds that the principle of utility should be applied for every situation (or act). Every moral choice faced should be approached by a consideration of which action will result in the greatest good. Upon this principle, any law may be broken so long as the greatest happiness is achieved. This allows for a flexible approach to ethics which accommodates individual situations. However, it also creates various problems for the ethicist. What might these be?

Rule Utilitarianism: Mill Rule Utilitarianism argues that moral laws must be obeyed They are selected on the basis of whether they will maximise general good or welfare in society There are conditions by which moral decisions ought to be made and following these rules/conditions will lead to some actions being right and others wrong. Rule Utilitarian's assume that: General moral rules exist for the benefit of the majority of people They prevent selfish behaviour Rules are determined by their consequences, the amount of utility they produce for the most amount of people. 5

Rule Utilitarianism: Utilitarian theory where rules are created for society which, in most situations, will produce the most amount of happiness for the majority. Which of the following do you think a rule utilitarian would condone: Strong Rule Utilitarianism: General rules deduced should not be broken. Weak Rule Utilitarianism: General rules deduced can be broken if doing so will maximise happiness in a given situation Torture is forbidden Murder is forbidden Homosexuality is forbidden Animal experimentation is forbidden Lying is forbidden Divorce is forbidden Strong RULE – stealing is bad as it leads to loss of profits, greater need for police resources, distrust and inequality in society Weak rule utilitarianism: n a situation where you are starving this stealing will outweigh the pain of not stealing so is acceptable THERE IS ALSO STRONG (BENTHAM) AND WEAK (MILL) UTILITARIANISM: BENTHAM ALWAYS USES THE PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY: MILL WILL BREAK IT BASED ON HARM PRINCIPLE.

Write your responses on the worksheet. Application: Decide what an Act, Strong Rule, Weak Rule utilitarian would say about the following scenarios: Write your responses on the worksheet.

2. Copy them into your books. Activity: 1. Separate the statements into criticisms of act or rule Utilitarianism. 2. Copy them into your books. 15 min

WHICH FORM OF UTILITARIANISM DO YOU PREFER AND WHY? Plenary: WHICH FORM OF UTILITARIANISM DO YOU PREFER AND WHY?