Act and Rule Utilitarianism, Exams of Ethics

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Act and Rule Utilitarianism

J.J.C. Smart’s “Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism”

Nathan Kellen

University of Connecticut

September 17th, 2015

Table of Contents

Normative Ethics

Utilitarianism

Acts and Rules

Act and Rule Utilitarianisms Act Utilitarianism Rule Utilitarianism

Why be a Utilitarian? Rule Utilitarianism

Normative Ethics

Normative Ethics

Now we’re on to the second major portion of our class - normative ethics.

Normative ethics is the study of what we ought to do, or what we owe to each other.

Normative Ethics

Normative Ethics

Now we’re on to the second major portion of our class - normative ethics.

Normative ethics is the study of what we ought to do, or what we owe to each other.

Recall that metaethics is “meta”, a step above, and is about ethical discourse (e.g. whether there are true moral statements).

Normative Ethics

Ethical Theories

In this portion of the class we’ll study four major ethical theories:

Normative Ethics

Ethical Theories

In this portion of the class we’ll study four major ethical theories:

1. Act Utilitarianism

Normative Ethics

Ethical Theories

In this portion of the class we’ll study four major ethical theories:

1. Act Utilitarianism
2. Rule Utilitarianism
3. Kantian deontology

Normative Ethics

Ethical Theories

In this portion of the class we’ll study four major ethical theories:

1. Act Utilitarianism
2. Rule Utilitarianism
3. Kantian deontology
4. Hobbesian deontology

Normative Ethics

Ethical Theories

In this portion of the class we’ll study four major ethical theories:

1. Act Utilitarianism
2. Rule Utilitarianism
3. Kantian deontology
4. Hobbesian deontology These theories will give us differing results about what we should do, and why we should do it.

Once we’ve learned each of the theories, their pros and their cons, we’ll move on to applying them in the last portion of the course.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism

The first two theories in this course are types of utilitarianism.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism

The first two theories in this course are types of utilitarianism.

According to Smart, utilitarianism is the doctrine that the rightness of actions is to be judged by their consequences.

But what does this mean?

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism

The first two theories in this course are types of utilitarianism.

According to Smart, utilitarianism is the doctrine that the rightness of actions is to be judged by their consequences.

But what does this mean?

Take the first part. Smart means to be defining right action, i.e. what the right thing to do is.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism and Utility

So utilitarians argue that the right thing to do depends on what the consequences of the action in question is.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism and Utility

So utilitarians argue that the right thing to do depends on what the consequences of the action in question is.

Specifically, utilitarians believe that an action is right iff it maximises utility.