Jeremy Bentham -
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Invented the first type of utilitarianism: Act Utilitarianism
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Came up with the use of the hedonic calculus
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Famous saying "nature has put us under two sovereign masters: pleasure and pain."
John Stuart Mill -
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Developed Bentham's work
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Invented Rule Utilitarianism
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Brought in the idea that there are 'higher' and 'lower' pleasures
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Famous quote: "it is better to be an unsatisfied Socrates than a satisfied pig.
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Believed in individual liberty so long as it didn't cause harm to anyone else.
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Stated that 'children and savages' should not be considered in Utilitarian calculations.
Peter Singer -
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Contemporary utilitarian
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Believed that all sentient beings should have rights, and higher beings like apes and gorillas deserve equal rights to humans.
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Justified mutually pleasurable bestiality on the grounds of utilitarianism.
Hedonic Calculus
The hedonic calculus has 7 criteria that it uses in order to decide on the best decision. The higher the number, the better a decision it is.
1.
Duration - how long does the pleasure from the action last for?
2.
Intensity - how strong is the pleasure that results from the action?
3.
Certainty - is the likelihood of the pleasure high or low?
4.
Extent - how many people will be affected with the pleasure?
5.
Fecundity - will the pleasure lead to more pleasure?
6.
Purity - will the pain (if there is any) lead to more pain?
7.
Propinquity - how long will it be until the pleasure would be attained?
Numbers are usually given out of a maximum of 10, and so a decision that leads to a total of 70 arbitrary calculus points would be the perfect decision.
Tip: use an anagram like 'DICE-FPP' to remember the 7 criteria.
Different Types of Utilitarianism
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Act Utilitarianism
