Utilitarianism: The Greater Good

Read this article which presents difficulties with calculating benefits and various utilitarian responses to those difficulties. Be able to define hedonistic and idealistic utilitarianism, soft and hard utilitarianism, and the difference between act and rule.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. What is a utilitarian argument in favor of a college education? How does it differ from other reasons you might want to go to college or graduate school?
  2. How could a utilitarian justify cheating on an exam?
  3. What is a "global ethics"?
  4. What practical problem with utilitarianism is (to some degree) resolved by monetized utilitarianism?
  5. What are two advantages of a utilitarian ethics when compared with an ethics of duties?
  6. What are two disadvantages of a utilitarian ethics when compared with an ethics of duties?
  7. What’s an example from today’s world of a utilitarian monster?
  8. What’s an example from today’s world of a utilitarian sacrifice?