PHIL 201 Lecture Notes - Bla Bla Bla, Rule Utilitarianism, Meta-Ethics
Document Summary
Defense of a form of utilitarianism, called rule utilitarianism. Many philosophers we"ve studied have gone over utilitarianism. He begins discussing whether utilitarianism is a normative thesis-gives you whats right and wrong, and how to determine this. Or if it is an metaethical theory-p. 640 mostly concerned with meaning and justification. For example, moores paper is purely metaethics, not discussing whats right or wrong but defining the term good. Meta ethics takes a step up and looks down on normative ethics and question them, what makes them work, bla bla bla. Mill and benthem both ask how to justify the principle of utility which would be a meta-ethical thesis. Brandt is concerned with giving a form of utilitarianism rule utilitarianism. You can divide utilitarianism into act and rule depending on what it is your evaluating. Actions-you can lie or tell the truth. Or if i don"t? what would happen to their happiness.
