Aug 16, 2012 utilitarianism was the term that was used to refer to consequentialism till 1960s, but today it is seen more of as a special type of consequentialism. Hybrid approaches to political and moral obligation are particularly appealing to moral realists because they enable policymakers to. By contrast, the deontological theories of john locke and immanuel kant are nonconsequentialist. It is a very simple, and very appealing, theory about our moral obligations. That fact makes classic utilitarianism a more complex theory than it might appear at first sight. Unlike other forms of consequentialism, such as egoism and altruism, utilitarianism considers the interests of all humans equally. Utilitarianism was the term that was used to refer to consequentialism till 1960s, but today it is seen more of as a special type of consequentialism.
It is also referred to as moral philosophy and analyzes the principles that decide the behavior of an individual or a group. Traces of utilitarian thought can be found in the works of plato and aristotle, but not until the eighteenth century did utilitarianism truly begin to emerge as a welldefined and. For korsgaard and foot, the inexorable pull of utilitarianism stems from its being a species of a certain genus, namely consequentialism. Start studying consequentialism and utilitarianism. It instructs the agent to choose the action which maximises utility. Thus, the objections here raised to actconsequentialism are merely presumptive at best. Consequentialism says that an act is morally right insofar as it maximizes good consequences. Hybrid approaches to political and moral obligation are particularly appealing to. The basis for this claim, however, is not entirely clear. It holds that an action is permissible if and only if the agentneutral value of its. Indeed, utilitarianism and consequentialism share many of the same tenets. For one thing, the criterion dispute includes a dispute about whether there is any such moral instinct. It would, of course, be foolish to deny that kants ethical writings have a. What sets utilitarianism apart from other types of consequentialism is that it maintains that we must consider the consequences for everyone at least all humans.
It is the only moral framework that can be used to justify military force or. Utilitarianism is hard universalism that is that there is an absolute, universal principle of morality which is not subject to cultural interpretation. Utility has traditionally been defined in terms of either happiness or preference satisfaction though there are other versions. I scrutinize anscombes comprehension of consequentialism, her reconstruction of sidgwicks. Jean thomas abstract this article analyzes hybrid philosophical models that combine deontological and consequentialist principles. Actconsequentialism is at odds with ordinary moral thinking in three respects. Agentneutrality, consequentialism, utilitarianism a. Section 4 illustrates that the notion of nonconsequentialist utilitarianism is also fruitful, by showing that many leading ethical theories could endorse nonconsequentialist utilitarianism and by suggesting heretically that rawlss. Nonconsequentialism and universalizability by philip pettit if nonconsequentialists are to embrace the requirement of universalizability, then they will. It is not an unknown variant, since it has been widely endorsed.
Introduction restrictive consequentialism is a variant of the standard consequentialist doctrine. Utilitarianism is a version of welfare consequentialism. Difference between consequentialism and utilitarianism. This chapter first examines sidgwicks critique of deontology and defence of consequentialism, arguing that it is repeatedly unfair, holding the principles it criticizes to standards. The case of john stuart mill daniel jacobson bowling green state university in this essay i will argue, flouting paradox, that mill was a utilitarian but not a consequentialist. The utilitarianism of john stuart mill and jeremy bentham is a well known example of consequentialism. Agentneutrality, consequentialism, utilitarianism a terminological note volume 7 issue 1 john skorupski. I discuss the third of anscombes theses from modern moral philosophy, namely that postsidgwickian consequentialism makes the worst action acceptable. Consequentialism collects, for the first time, both the main classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of this important position.
Utilitarianism is very closely associated with consequentialism, to the point where some use the terms interchangeably. Consequentialism is usually contrasted with deontological ethics or deontology, in that deontology, in which rules and moral duty are central, derives the rightness or wrongness of ones conduct from the character of the behaviour itself rather than the outcomes of the conduct. Whether an act is morally right depends solely on consequences or the goodness of consequences. James dreier, the structure of normative theo ries, monist 76 1993. To ignore relevant consequences, however, is to break with the very essence of consequentialism. Consequentialism and the law in medicine philosophical. Consequentialist theory determines whether to do or not do something based on the expected result of the action. December 1986 restrictive consequentialism philip pettit and geoffrey brennan 1. Utilitarianism, kantian ethics, natural rights theories, and.
When i say this, i dont just mean that reliabilism, like utilitarianism, is a species of a certain genus which is the true source of that. What is the relationship between utilitarianism and. Utilitarianism is also a consequentialist theory in that only the consequences of an act count not the intentions which precipitated the act. Consequentialism says that right or wrong depend on the consequences of an act, and that the more good consequences are produced, the better. Edited and introduced by stephen darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative ethics. Utilitarians may insist that you maximize total utility, you not thereby. Although utilitarianism is highly influential, there are fundamental problems. Non consequentialism and universalizability by philip pettit if nonconsequentialists are to embrace the requirement of universalizability, then they will have to adopt a surprisingly relativistic stance. I believe that the very imperfect notion ordinarily formed of its meaning, is the chief obstacle which impedes its reception.
Prichard, carritt, ross, and broad defended the deontological view that rejects that claim. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act or omission from acting is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. This essay argues, flouting paradox, that mill was a utilitarian but not a consequentialist. Next, utilitarianism is positioned in relation to kantianism and virtue ethics, and the possibility of con. Act utilitarianism au is the moral theory that holds that the morally right action, the act. These theories serve as building blocks for the rest of the course. Utilitarianism 9 formula should be correctly understood. If kant is correct, then it would seem that utilitarianism, and any other consequentialist normative principle, is misguided. Utilitarianism consequencebased ethics learning theories. Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of ones conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct. Utilitarianism9 formula should be correctly understood. A common expression of this idea is the end justifies the means, so whatever action is required to create a. Consequentialism, egoism, and the moral law received 2 august, 1988 i. The utilitarian perspective on end of life care investigated in this chapter is a particular version of ethical consequentialism.
Consequentialism, in ethics, the doctrine that actions should be judged right or wrong on the basis of their consequences. Hybrid moral frameworks moral philosophy is dominated by the distinction between deontology, or the justification of actions that conform to a particular set of duties, and consequentialism, or the justification of actions that advance a desirable set of outcomes. Two strategies for justifying act utilitarianism ben eggleston university of kansas corresponding author. Consequentialism, egoism, and the moral law bates college. It would, of course, be foolish to deny that kants ethical writings have a distinctly nonutilitarian flavor. Act utilitarianism, the view that we should maximize wellbeing or happiness, is perhaps the paradigmatic form of consequentialism. Utilitarianism i the most common form of consequentialism is utilitarianism i utilitarianism combines consequentialism with the claim that the only valuable consequence is pleasure, and the only disvaluable consequence is pain. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on outcomes. The simplest form of consequentialism is classical or hedonistic utilitarianism, which asserts that an action is right or wrong according to whether it maximizes the net. Consequentialism, as its name suggests, is simply the view that normative properties depend only on consequences.
Utilitarianism, which holds that an action is right if it leads to the most happiness for the greatest number of people happiness here is defined as the maximization of pleasure and the minimization of pain. Sep 25, 2008 consequentialism says that right or wrong depend on the consequences of an act, and that the more good consequences are produced, the better the act. According to the textbook definition, of course, utilitarianism just is the combination of a certain sort of theory of the. Whether an act is morally right or good depends on whether it is in conformity or conflict with certain virtues or character traits. Utilitarianism holds that the most ethical choice is the one that will produce the greatest good for the greatest number. Consequentialism and constraints consequentialist theories have two elements. Consequentialism final journal of ethics and social.
Consequentialism stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Consequentialism vs utilitarianism ethics is the study of right and wrong. Pdf consequentialist theory is one of the normative ethics theories that try to. First, it contends that there is logical space for a view that deserves to be called utilitarian despite its rejection of consequentialism. I begin by explaining how moral rationalism leads us to reject utilitarianism. Consequentialism internet encyclopedia of philosophy.
Sidgwick, rashdall, mctaggart, and moore were consequentialists, holding that right acts always maximize the good. This historically important and still popular theory embodies the basic intuition that what is best or right is whatever makes the world best in the future, because we cannot change the past. Pdf consequentialist theory a discussion of ethical. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
For one thing, the criterion dispute includes a dispute about whether. I said earlier that the attempt to formulate a kind of consequentialism which incorporates virtually unbreakable rules rests on a misunderstanding of the philosophical objections to it. Driver thus, classical utilitarianism guides ethical decision makers to make decisions that bring the most pleasure for the greatest number of people. Whether i bring about some state of affairs by doing something or failing to do it is morally irrelevant. Pdf elizabeth anscombe on consequentialism and absolute. As is pointed out in section 10, however, the individual welfare. Utilitarianism an action is the right thing to do in certain circumstances if, of all the actions available in those circumstances, it would produce the best. For consequentialists, whether an action is morally right or wrong depends on the actions consequences.
That, at least, is the view taken by smart, who derided ruleconsequentialism as ruleworship and consistently defended actconsequentialism. Consequentialism judges the morality of actions based on the consequences they produce. In this section, we discuss several ethical theories and perspectives, such as consequentialism and utilitarianism. Consequentialist theory is one of the normative ethics theories that try to answer the ethical questions about right or wrong and how we arrive at this answer. An action is the right thing to do in certain circumstances if, of all the actions available in those circumstances, it would produce the best outcome. But many alternatives have been developed, as found under the varieties of consequentialism subcategory. Utilitarianism stresses on maximizing the good for the maximum number of people. Utilitarianism combines the aspects of hedonism and consequentialism. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. How moral rationalism leads us to reject utilitarianism utilitarianism holds that an act is morally permissible if and only if it. Utilitarianism is a specific version of consequentialism, and the most common one. Briefing consequentialism and utilitarianism consequentialism teleology teleology comes from the greek word telos, meaning purpose or end. Consequentialism says the ethical status of an action is determined by its consequences. Utilitarianism is a version of consequentialism, which states that the consequences of any action are the only standard of right and wrong.
Consequentialist decision theory and utilitarian ethics. Kant on utilitarianism it is often claimed that kant rejected utilitarianism. I some utilitarians even allow for there to be quanti able units of pain and pleasure. Utilitarianism is one of a group of theories that maintain that the rightness or wrongness of an actio n depends on the actions consequences. Teleology is now more commonly known as consequentialism.
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