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Describe the Distinctive Features of a Utilitarian Ethical System

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Describe the distinctive features of a Utilitarian ethical system

The principle of utility states that actions are acceptable as long as they have an outcome of either happiness or pleasure. There are two main types of utilitarianism; Act utilitarianism and Rule utilitarianism. The two main figureheads of modern utilitarianism were Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
Jeremy Bentham came up with the idea of the hedonic calculus. This was his system of measuring how good or bad a consequence is. It was also known as the greatest happiness principle. This meant simply that a good action is one that maximises general happiness or minimises pain. A bad action is the opposite of a good action. The hedonic calculus, used to decide whether actions are good or bad goes like this: 1) Its intensity- how intense will the pleasure or pain be? 2) Its duration- How long will it last? 3) Its certainty or uncertainty- How sure can we be that it will follow from our action? 4) Its remoteness- How far away is it in terms of time? 5) Its fecundity- the chance it has of being followed by similar sensations? 6) Its purity- The chance it has of not being followed by opposite sensations? 7) Its extent- To what extent will it affect others?
We can use the hedonic calculus for examples such as abortion: 1) Its intensity- The pain of an abortion will be minimal physically but could cause great pain mentally. 2) Its duration- The treatment may only last for a few minutes but the time taken to forget about the abortion will be very long. 3) Its certainty- It is very certain the abortion will be successful. 4) Its remoteness- It could either be very soon after conception or nearer to when the baby would be born. 5) Its fecundity- The person may feel relieved that the baby won’t be born. 6) Its purity- The person may feel depressed about

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