PHIL 297 Study Guide - Final Guide: Universalizability, Rule Utilitarianism, Act Utilitarianism

• School: Bloomsburg University
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 297
• Professor: Lowe, Scott

Document Summary

Study guide questions 2015: explain the main points of classical utilitarianism. Classical utilitarianism is a moral theory that an action is morally acceptable if and only if it is productive of the most utility (happiness, pleasure) for the greatest amount of people. Meaning, how do we elaborate the appro(cid:448)al of a(cid:374) i(cid:374)di(cid:448)idual"s a(cid:272)tio(cid:374) of a positi(cid:448)e or (cid:374)egati(cid:448)e o(cid:374)e through their a(cid:272)tio(cid:374)s of the amount of pain or pleasure they produce from that said action. Imagine that a black individual rapes a white girl, the aftermath of the rape a white crowd begins forming a riot searching for the individual who raped the girl. In order to save the town from destruction from the mob, a quick arrest is made, and an innocent individual is persecuted. In general, it is good in the fact that an arrest was made, and the riots were halted and the majority of individuals were saved from crime.