Notes for 11/01/01
Megan Psiropoulos


Readings for 11/08/01
Pojman 292-293, 297-317
Rosenstand 211-248

Grade Estimate Scale for Midterm One
A 38-45 points
B 31-37 points
C 24-30 points
D 20-23 points
F 00-19 points

Extra Credit is worth 5 points and is due
on November
15, 2001.
Professor Borrowdale will talk to us about
paper
topics on November 8, 2001.
Some paper examples are
-Utilitarianism
-Relativism
-Egoism
-Virtue Ethics
A broad Ethical Theory as opposed to a
specific issue.
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UTILITARIANISM

Utility=pleasure and the absence of
pain/net
pleasure/happiness. (pleasure-pain=net
pleasure)
Utilitarianisms Theory of Value:
Hedonism-the view
that only pleasure is intrinsically valuable
A. Intrinsic Values--Valuable for their own
sake Ex.
Why are you laughing? Because I just
am.
B. Extrinsic/Instrumental
Values--Valuable only as a
means for something else Ex. Running is
good for your
health, money to purchase goods and
services or a
college degree to get a good job.

Hedonism- only pleasure is intrinsically
valuable
Other Intrinsic goods?
Education/Knowledge
Freedom
Achievement
Art
Means to happiness and pleasure if it
has means to
anything else then it is not utilitarianism

Nozicks Experience Machine--no
experience machine vs.
experience machine for your whole life.
Are pleasurable experiences the only
things that are
intrinsically valuable?

Theory of Action: Consequentialism
The rightness or wrongness of an act
consists in its
consequences or results, not in some
quality in the
act itself.
It says: you should maximize (create the
most
possible) utility for happiness
Mills says: the greatest good for the
greatest number
What's Better? To give 100 units of
happiness
to 10 people (10 units each) OR
100 units of happiness to 100 people (1
unit each)
Bentham's Hedonistic
Calculus--calculate how
much pleasure each thing will
produce and choose the one that will
produce the most
pleasure.

Criticisms of Utilitarianism
1. too difficult to calculate
consequences--there is
no certainty
Bentham/Mill say you can't really expect
perfection/
you have to take an educated guess and
you can use the
rule of thumb (practical guideline). Ex.
Stealing is
not okay unless you are stuck in the
woods and you
have to break into an empty cabin and eat
the food
because other wise you might starve.
2. How long do I need to wait before I
know if my act
was right or wrong? A reasonable period
of time. A
short time for small things and longer for
big things.
3. Too demanding--if you don’t massively
sacrifice you
interests, projects or pleasure then you
are immoral.
Mills says you must avoid a moral
breakdown and
morality is demanding and people are
selfish and
immoral.
4. Too permissive--condones torture,
murder, etc.