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Lesson 9 and 10 - Universal Values and Utilitarianism

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14 views

Lesson 9 and 10 - Universal Values and Utilitarianism

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sambasares29
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson 9:

Universal Values
ROSELYN F. PANOPIO, MA, LPT, RPm
• Universals are immaterial Overview:
and immutable, beyond
(transcendent) space and
time or spatio-temporal
conditions. The same thing Despite the claims of cultural relativism, the
is true with moral standards concept on the reality of universal values persists.
and values.
• The values of honesty and • Plato talked about the virtues of temperance, courage, and
respect for human life are wisdom.
characteristics individuated • Jesus Christ preached the value of love from which springs
in all people who respect, patience, kindness, goodwill, forgiveness and compassion
do not harm, injure or kill • Confucius taught righteousness, human-heartedness, filial
human beings piety
Universal Values are the ultimate bases Dr. Kent M. Keith in 2003 came
for living together and learning how to up with a list of fundamental,
live together. Without respect for or universal moral principles
human life by all then people will just that can be found throughout
kill each other. If honesty or truth the world.
telling is not valued by all, there will be • DO NO HARM – Do not do
endless lack of of trust among people. others what you would not
like them to do to you.
In spite of cultural relativism, there are
values that are universal for human • DO GOOD – Do to others
what you would like them to
survival. do to you.
Lesson 10:
Utilitarianism
ROSELYN F. PANOPIO, MA, LPT, RPm
Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill – are two British
Philosophers who advocates of utilitarianism, the former
being considered the founder.

Jeremy Bentham – described the utilitarianism in this


philosophy: Nature has placed mankind under the
governance of two sovereign masters – pain and pleasure.

John Stuart Mill’s point out utilitarianism as a moral


principle – the principle of utility or the greatest happiness
principle, it is also phrased as the principle of the greatest
good (quality) of the greatest number (quantity)
Who is Jeremy Bentham?

Who is Jeremy Bentham?


• Born on February 15, 1748 in London, England. He was
the teacher of James Mill, father of John Stuart Mill
• First wrote about the greatest happiness principle of
ethics and was known for a system of penal
management called panopticon.
• He was an advocate of animal rights and the abolition of
slavery, death penalty, and corporal punishment to
children.
• Bentham denied individual legal rights nor agreed with
the natural law.
• On his death on June 6, 1832, he donated his corpse to
the University of London, where his auto-icon is in
public display to this day to serve as his memorial.
Hedonism is a theoretical framework of utilitarianism.
It is a theory of well-being — a theory of how well a
life is going for the person living that life. What
separates Hedonism from other theories of well-
being is that the hedonist believes that what defines a
successful life is directly related to the amount of
pleasure in that life; no other factors are relevant at
all. Therefore, the more pleasure that a person
experiences in their life then the better their life goes,
and vice versa. Whereas other theories might focus
on fulfilling desires people have, or an objective list of
things such as friendship and health.
•Bentham developed his moral theory of
Utilitarianism on the foundation of the type of
hedonistic thinking.
•For Bentham, the only thing that determines the
value of a life, or indeed the value of an event or
action, is the amount of pleasure contained in
that life, or the amount of pleasure produced as a
result of that event or action. Bentham is a
hedonistic utilitarian.
•This belief in Hedonism, however, was not
something that Bentham took to be unjustified or
arbitrary; for him Hedonism could be empirically
justified by evidence in the world in its favor.
Utilitarianism
• is a form of consequentialism – focusing on the consequences of action. Whether act or
practice of rule, if they produce good consequences, the act or the practice of rule would be
right. Ethical gives pleasure and happiness as a consequence, that is what the song “In
heaven there is no beer; that’s why we drink beer here” implies. However, unethical is what
gives pain and unhappiness.Ethical produce the greatest good (happiness) for the greatest
number.
• The utilitarian value pleasure and happiness; this means that the usefulness of actions
based on its promotion of happiness
• Is an ethical theory that argues for the goodness of pleasure and the determination of right
behavior based on the usefulness of the action’s consequences. This means that pleasure is
good, and that the goodness of an action is determined by its usefulness. Its root word is
“utility” which thereby refers to the consequences of actions and behavior as useful.
• Utilitarianism argue that we should always maximize happiness, we are to choose actions
that will always produce the greatest amount of happiness.
THE STRUCTURE OF BENTHAM’S
UTILITARIANISM
1. Consequentialist/Teleological

2. Relativist

3. Maximizing

4. Impartial
TELEOLOGICAL
•The theory is also described as teleological for the
same reason, based on the Greek word telos that
means “end” or “purpose”. If more pleasure follows
as a consequence of “Action A” rather than “Action
B”, then according to the fundamental axiom of
Utilitarianism “Action A” should be undertaken and
is morally right; choosing “Action B” would be
morally wrong.
•Bentham’s Utilitarianism is Relativistic rather
than Absolutist. Absolutist moral views hold that
certain actions will always be morally wrong
irrespective of context or consequences.
•For example, many campaigning groups
suggest that torture is always morally
RELATIVI unacceptable whether it is carried out by
vindictive dictators seeking to instill fear in a
population or whether it is authorized by
ST democratically elected governments seeking to
obtain information in order to stop a terrorist
attack.
•For absolutists then, the act of torture is
absolutely wrong in all cases and situations.
MAXIMAZING

•Bentham’s Utilitarianism is maximizing because it does not merely require that


pleasure is promoted, but that the greatest pleasure for the greatest number is
secured. This means that some actions that lead to pleasure will still not be
morally good acts if another action that could have produced even more
pleasure in that setting was rejected. Thus, for example, if you gain some
pleasure from spending money on a new book, but that money could have
produced more pleasure had it been donated to a local charity for the homeless,
then buying a new book would be morally wrong even though it led to some
pleasure because it did not maximize the total amount of pleasure that was
possible in that circumstance.
IMPARTIAL
Bentham’s utilitarian theory is
Bentham’s Utilitarianism is also associated with the idea of equal
impartial in the sense that what consideration of interests; as long
matters is simply securing the as total pleasure is maximized then
maximum amount of pleasure for it does not if that pleasure is
the maximum number of people; experienced by royalty, presidents,
the theory does not give special siblings, children, friends or
preference regarding which people enemies. In the total calculation of
are supposed to have access to, or pleasure, we are all equal
share in, that total pleasure. regardless of our status, behavior
or any other social factor.

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