UTILITARIANISM In this paper I will be discussing utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the theory proposing the principle of utility as the correct ethical standard. I will also be talking about the THEORY of RIGHT CONDUCT, which is also a part of moral the
Leah Peterson
April 27, 2000
Philosophy 130N
PAPER ONE: UTILITARIANISM
In this paper I will be discussing utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the theory proposing the principle of utility as the correct ethical standard. I will also be talking about the THEORY of RIGHT CONDUCT, which is also a part of moral theory. I have been asked to prove if Bentham or Mills’ version of utilitarianism is right for the sadistic voyeur case. I will begin by telling you about the case.
Case: this man enjoys watching women being brutally raped; he is locked in a room. He cannot exit the room, there is a window in the room and a curtain covers it. Behind the curtain a woman is being brutally raped by several men. If the man opens the curtain he will gain a great deal of pleasure and no pain, but if he doesn’t open the curtain he will receive no pain or no pleasure.
Bentham’s principle of utility states this: that an action ought to be done if and only if it maximizes the total amount of pleasure to those persons affected by the action. The hedonic calculus is also included in with Bentham’s principle of utility. The hedonic calculus is a method in which the total amount of pleasure is produced by an action that can be discerned. There is a list of seven characteristics of the hedonic calculus. The first set is known as intrinsic characteristics of pain and pleasure and they are, intensity of each pain and pleasure, duration of each pain and pleasure, probability that the pain and pleasure will occur after the act. Next, there are things that the intrinsic characteristics are affected by, propinquity nearness of time of the pleasure and pain to the act. Finally, there are consequential characteristics of pain and pleasure and they are, fecundity: probability that the sensation will be followed by another sensation, impurity: probability that the sensation will be followed by another sensation of the opposite kind, extent: the # of persons affected by the act.