Utilitarians and Consequentialists Quiz

Answer: Jeremy Bentham

In his work "The Principles of Morals and Legislation" (1789) Bentham argued that man is controlled by two masters - pleasure and pain. As a consequence, man should, therefore, look to take actions that provide the greatest pleasure. To extend this to the broader community, these actions should provide the greatest pleasure to the greatest number of people. Bentham takes this hedonistic approach further by providing a list of twelve pains and ten pleasures covering man's spiritual and physical aspects.

His theory extended that these actions could be turned into an equation to provide them with a 'happiness factor' on which they could be assessed. Bentham's plan was not without criticism, the most poignant being that justice would be much the poorer under such a regime - for example, it would be considered acceptable to condone lying if the outcome of that lie would produce a greater good.

Answer: John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) took the view that intellectual pursuits held a greater degree of happiness than the mere contentment one found in physical pleasures. Accordingly, man should first direct his actions toward the intellectual. He summarised this in his, now famous, line 'better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied'.

Answer: Peter Singer

Singer specialises in the field of applied ethics. He is a proponent of utilitarianism being the only true measure of ethical behaviour and has extended strong arguments to apply these same principles to the treatment of animals. He reasons that humans by nature are self-interested and, because it is a natural instinct, should not be seen as being right. To emphasise his work he promoted the word 'specieism' to denote man's attitude to privilege humans over animals.

Answer: Henry Sidgwick

Sidgwick's utilitarianism beliefs were similar to those of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill though Sidgwick extended his philosophy to include the view that individuals should, rather than seeking greater pleasures, ensure that their actions do not lead to a decrease in happiness.

His reasoning was that individuals are the only ones who know what provides them with the greater happiness. If, on the other hand, they chose to act in a manner that could be called 'austere altruism', then the overall welfare of a society would be adversely affected.

Answer: Auguste Comte

Comte's main work spoke of social evolution based on a philosophy of 'Positivism'. Positivism is a perspective that believes a scientific approach is the truest means to establish how human events occur. Comte argued that this quest for 'the truth' needs to be dealt with at three levels (or stages) - theological, metaphysical and positive.

He provided arguments of 'ethical altruism, in contrast to to Henry Sidgwick's 'ethical egoism'. In Comte's eyes, individuals should take actions that produce the best consequences for a broader society, not just for the individual himself.

He expanded this idea to incorporate a 'religion of humanity' that prescribed humans should 'live for others'. Through this phrase, Comte became the progenitor of the word altruism.

Answer: Robert Nozick

Nozick, the author of such notable works as "Anarchy, State and Utopia" (1974) and "Philosophical Explanations" (1981) is an advocate of rule consequentialism, a methodology that considers that society requires a set of 'minimal rules' to ensure that appropriate actions are taken to ensure society's welfare.

These rules should be absolute in their structure. In many respects, this becomes an attempt to align the ideals of deontology (judging the morality of actions by their adherence to rules) with those of consequentialism.

However, there is a subtle difference between these two approaches. Deontology dictates that moral behaviour requires society to follow 'certain rules' whereas consequentialism provides that these 'certain rules' should be chosen on the basis of their consequences.

Answer: Amartya Sen

As a welfare economist Sen became a leading student and adviser into the causes of famine. He went on to develop methods to limit the effects of food shortages, whether those shortages be real or perceived. Whilst he acknowledged the merits of rule consequentialism he put forth the argument that rules would have grounds to be violated if the actions that are generated by these rules produce results (consequences) that are less than desirable.

Answer: Thomas Hobbes

Hobbes developed structures of liberal thought that related to the rights of individuals and the natural equality of man. In "Leviathan" he creates a 'social contract' theory, a form of rule consequentialism that puts forth a need for legitimate government and societal rules.

He postulates that without these rules man would revert to, what he calls, 'the state of nature'. In this condition man would have an unrestricted right to everything in the world which, in turn, would lead to a 'war of all against all'

Answer: Herbert Spencer

Spencer, who coined the term 'survival of the fittest', was strongly influenced by Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" (1859). He extended the theory of natural selection into the realms of sociology and ethics through his ten volumes of "System of Synthetic Philosophy" (Volume 1 published in 1862). Spencer's work, to some extent, also gained influence from Auguste Comte's approach on positivism though Spencer would strongly disagree with Comte's view on the universality of natural law, stating that progressive development is a symptom of evolution.

Answer: Jean-Paul Sartre

Sartre in his defining work, "Existentialism is a Humanism" (1946), argues that before man can define himself he must, first of all, exist, then find both himself and his way in the world. Sartre also promotes the view that there is nothing that dictates a person's character - that the definition of a person's essence comes from within. People seek freedom for themselves and, ultimately, they are the ones responsible for all their own actions.