Jesse Rappaport
Course slides for Professor Rappaport
Utilitarianism
Consequentialism
Two broad divisions in ethical theories:
- Consequentialism: The moral properties of an action depend solely on its consequences.
- Anti-consequentialism: Moral properties do not solely depend on an action’s consequences.
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Utilitarianism
The Principle of Utility
“Actions are right as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.”
“By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and the absence of pleasure.”
Utilitarianism
In utilitarianism, the goal of ethics is to maximize happiness/“pleasure” for the greatest number of people.
Utilitarianism
Does utilitarianism advocate pure self-indulgence?
- No. Pleasures can vary both in quantity and in quality.
- Low pleasures: food, drink, physical pleasure, etc.
- High pleasures: art, science, philosophy, intellectual pleasures, etc.
- High pleasures are worth more than low pleasures.
Utilitarianism
Does utilitarianism advocate egoism?
- No. Everyone’s happiness is of equal moral worth.
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism
- All that matters for morality are consequences.
- The only consequences that matter pertain to pain/suffering and pleasure/happiness.
- Pleasures can vary in both quantity and quality.
- Everyone’s happiness is of equal worth.
Utilitarian Calculus
- To make our arguments within utilitarianism more precise, let us suppose that pleasure can be measured in a quantity (utils).
- X has more utils than Y if, overall, X is happier / has more pleasure than Y.
- Thus, within utilitarianism, right actions are those that yield a net gain in utils; wrong actions are those that yield a net loss.
Utilitarianism
Some notable applications
- Euthanasia is deemed moral
- Recreational marijuana is deemed moral
- Animal suffering is deemed immoral
Utilitarianism
Problems for utilitarianism
- Utilitarianism seems to have a problem with unexpected / unintended consequences
Utilitarianism
Problems for utilitarianism
Suppose someone is walking in the woods, and they come across a person drowning in a river, so they decide to rescue them. As it turns out, the person they rescued was a terrorist who would eventually set off a bobm killing dozens.
- The consequences of the action are bad, but do we really want to say that it it immoral to help a drowning stranger?
Utilitarianism
Problems for utilitarianism
Suppose someone commits a vicious murder just because they felt like it. As it turns out, the person that they killed was a terrorist who was plotting to set off a bomb that would kill dozens.
- The consequences of the action are good, but do we really want to say it was just?
Utilitarianism
Problems for utilitarianism
Suppose someone is walking in the woods, and they come across a person drowning in a river, so they decide to rescue them. As it turns out, the person they rescued was a terrorist who would eventually set off a bobm killing dozens.
- The consequences of the action are bad, but do we really want to say that it it immoral to help a drowning stranger?
Utilitarianism
Two kinds of utilitarianism
- Act Utilitarianism: An action is right just in case it results in the greatest amount of pleasure.
- Rule Utilitarianism: An action is right just in case it conforms to a RULE that ON AVERAGE results in the greatest amount of pleasure.
Utilitarianism
Two kinds of utilitarianism
- Let's return to the killer example.
- The killer reduces suffering, but is acting according to a rule that tends to promote pain, rather than pleasure.
- Thus, their actions are RIGHT according to act utilitarianism, but WRONG according to rule utilitarianism.
Utilitarianism
Other Problems
- Are consequences all that matter?
- The "healthy patient"
- Scapegoating
- Peeping Tom
- Child pornography
Criminal Justice
Two notions of justice
- Retributive justice: The point of our justice system is to give criminals what they deserve (eye for an eye, making the criminal suffer, etc.).
- Restorative / Rehabilitative justice: The point of our justice system is to rehabilitate criminals and restore them to being positive members of society.
Criminal Justice
Two notions of justice
- Which of these systems of justice is followed in the United States?
- Which system is preferred by utilitarianism?
- Which system do you think is right?
Intellectual Property
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Intellectual Property
Is illegal file-sharing unethical?
First pass:
- Illegal file-sharing is stealing - you are taking someone else's property without permission, and without paying for it.
- Stealing is wrong - you are not entitled to take other people's possessions without consent.
- Therefore, file-sharing is wrong.
Intellectual Property
Is illegal file-sharing really the same as stealing of physical property?
- Physical property is rivalrous - if you have a milkshake, and I drink it, then you don't get to enjoy it.
- Intellectual property is non-rivalrous! If you record a song, and I get to listen to it, it doesn't prevent anyone else from enjoying it.
Intellectual Property
Is illegal file-sharing really the same as stealing physical property?
- It isn't obvious why "stealing" a non-rivalrous good would be wrong.
Intellectual Property
Quick utilitarian argument AGAINT IP rights:
- Non-rivalrous goods do not cause others to suffer or experience a loss when they are consumed - they only produce pleasure.
- The more people who experience pleasure, the better (ethically speaking).
- Therefore, it is ethical to "steal"/share intellectual property.
Intellectual Property
Incentives-Based Rule-Utilitarian Argument
- Society ought to adopt a system or institution if and only if it leads to or, given our best estimates, is expected to lead to the maximization of overall social utility.
- A system or institution that confers limited rights to authors and inventors over what they produce is a necessary incentive for the production of intellectual works.
- Promoting the creation and dissemination of intellectual works produces an optimal amount of social progress.
- Therefore, a system of intellectual property should be adopted.
5 - Utilitarianism
By Jesse Rappaport
5 - Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism, consequentialism, Trolley Problem, rule vs. act utilitarianism
