PHI 1700H Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Hedonism, Supererogation, Unapologetic
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In the assessment of consequences, each individual"s happiness gets equal consideration. : this means that equal amounts of happiness always count equally; nobody"s well-being matters more just because he is rich, let"s say, or powerful, or handsome. Morally, everyone counts the same: according to classical utilitarianism, an action is right if it produces the greatest overall balance of happiness over unhappiness. The hedonist can only say that she will feel frustrated and upset whenever she thinks of what might have been, and that is her misfortune: but this explanation gets things backward. It is not as though, by feeling upset, she has turned a neutral situation into a bad one: on the contrary, the bad situation is what made her unhappy. Are consequence all that matter: consequences, to determine whether an action is right, utilitarians believe that we should. 4. look at what will happen as a result of doing it.
