PHILO-120 Lecture 11: Philo 120 (spring) - C11

• School: Diablo Valley College
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHILO-120
• Professor: price

Document Summary

By now, we should know what act utitarianism is and criteria of a good act. Higher pleasure vs. lower pleasure; informed preference test (coincidence of opinion among people who have experienced both) Generally speaking vs. exceptions it is reasonable to steal/lie in certain very specific scenarios. But general rule of thumb is to not. Human happiness is not continual state of bliss, but close to baseline + relatively few intense pains + fair share of minor pains. + lots of minor pleasures + fair share of large pleasures. Happiness can be: content with little tranquility if they have excitement (large spikes makes deep troughs ok); or it can be content with alternating periods of tranquility and excitement; or generally space above > space below. 2) utilitarianism is not feasible as an ethical theory. Mill: utilitarianism asks us to do what has the best effects, it matters that you do it and not why you do it (not act from duty);