Consequentialism Outline

Background and what is utilitarianism

What is PECI and how does it get applied
Justification of utilitarianism
Discussion
Philosophy and Morality
QUESTION: What is a philosophical approach to ethics/morality?
A: There are infinite answers but the idea is philosophy uses reasoning to try to determine what
is true in the moral domain. It aims at a secular approach, not associated with faith or religion.
Moral Reasoning
Involves judging similarly cases that are morally similar; differences in judgments are
justified only by citing a morally significant difference
Irrational Moral Principle : University policy should be that students with blond hair get
As and students with dark hair fail
o Hair colour is not relevant to moral distinctions. It is an arbitrary distinction.
Grades are meant to convey information about successful learning and
accomplishment, nothing to do with appearance.
FACTS related to moral reasoning:
o Are facts important for moral reasoning? How?
YES for drawing practical conclusions from general moral principles
o Ex. It is good to foster childrens health
UTILITARIANISM
Actions are right in proportion 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 privation of pleasure
What is Utility
o Making someone better off (increasing utility) , vise versa
o Mill: happiness which is pleasure and absence of pain, BUT there are higher and
lower pleasures.
Eg. Pacman/CC
Mill + Bentham hedonistic (pleasure oriented) utilitarian
Mills predecessor Bentham: There is only one kind: Happiness = pleasure
Singer: preference (help that person get whatever is good for them) utilitarian
o Based on individuals preferences and help them achieve their goal than feeling
happiness
Utilitarianism intended as rational way of solving ethical problems
o Instead of relying on emotions, empathy, tradition or moral intuitions about
what we think is true, we count up the effects of our action on everyone and do
the action that brings out the best effects overall

o Look at how the action effects everyone , choose the action that will affect
everyone overall in a good way
PECI

SINGER: Principle of Equal Consideration of interests is that we give equal weight in our
moral deliberations to the like interests of all those affected by our actions.
o Must consider all parties interest
PECI and unequal results
o Inegalitarian? = helping the person who is already better off
PECI and its implications
o Punishment can be justified only on the basis of effects not on the basis of
being deserved by past action

September 16, 2014

The Justification of Utilitarianism
Question: What problem is Singer concerned with at the start of his discussion on pages 9- 11
of his book? What is his proposed solution to that problem?
Singer on the nature of ethics
What is it to make an ethical decision? He wants to figure out the nature of ethic is.
Singers definition of ethics: Answer to an ethical question is probably not the answer
you like
For singer, the ethical point of view means taking everyones interest into account
equally
Question: What does singer mean in saying on page 13 that at least at some level in my moral
reasoning I must choose the course of action that has the best consequences, on balance for all
affected
When you go beyond your own interest where do you stop? Singer thinks there is no
point of interest where you can stop, you have to consider all until the end
Equality
What equality isnt
Equality does not mean you have the same characteristics. The people are equal not
because they have the same characteristics but because they have equal value
o So it cant be that ethical equality means sameness in qualities (ex. Intelligence)
Question: Do considerations of justice play a role in Singers form of utilitarian thinking? How
might utilitarian views of justice be challenged?
Can you punish someone because they deserved it based on what they did? NO.

o In utilitarian point of view, it looks at the consequences. Punishment is

determined based on whether or not crime would be deterred or prevention of
future victims
What utilitarian think about justice:
o The principle of equal consideration is itself
o When you have a feeling of justice (you feel like someone should be punished for
what they are doing) , when you feel that, that is just a feeling that you are
getting. In fact the feeling is probably explained through evolution
Question: In the utilitarian view, what is the explanation for why slavery is immoral? Do you
think this is the right explanation?
The interest of the number of slaves versus their master
The amount of suffering their interest is limited, which results in bad consequences
Do benefits of owners outweigh the pain of slaves?
Question: Singer recently said that the issue of climate change and the environment had
prompted him to reconsider whether his utilitarian view is correct. Why might environmental
issues be a problem for utilitarian thinking?
If people do not believe in climate change they will not be motivated to do something
about it
Interests: Hard to sort out how to apply that theory into things that will happen far off in
the future.

Cheating. Should the university punish students who cheat? If utilitarian says yes, it says
so only because and insofar as those punishments will produce beneficial effect
Justice and fairness can be only derivately of value
Other related explains problematic for utilitarianism :
o Suppose sentencing an innocent person to death would prevent a riot of angry
citizens because they believe e is guilty. Should he be killed?
Question: How might a utilitarian respond to Carritts criticism of utilitarianism that makes it
no room for justice?
Shows how the problem is so serious that the theory cant be true
September 18, 2014
Utilitarianism and Integrity:
1. Utilitarianism may say its wrong but it might be right (vice versa)
2. That should be a tough decision ( Jims case ) but he thinks utilitarianism doesnt convey
that
3. Moral Question and the Moral point of view
Kantian Philosophy
- Human anatomy: giving the law to oneself
- The ability to act on principle and believed you cant act any other way
- Ethical idea is to respect the anatomy of all rational beings as individuals

The formula of the End in Itself

- Do all human beings have the capacities to adopt and pursue our own ends (Goal)?
Rationality
- What is valuabe in persons is their rational autonomous nature which is the ability to
decide for ourselves whether or not to pursue our goal
- Maxims: underlying principle of the act, policy , activity by which other more superficial
aspects of action are guided
Means vs Mere Mean
- Do not use people but treat them as someone with value
Deception and Coercion
- You treat someone unmorally if you give someone a choice that they have to choose
-