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Discussion 1

Discussion: Objections to Utilitarianism

In the course of the week’s discussion, you will need to do the following (not necessarily in this order):

View or download the selections of Philosophical Texts Download Philosophical Texts.

Engage with the text:

Using at least one quote from one of the required readings, briefly explain the ethical theory of utilitarianism.

Ethical theories have core ideas, principles, and assumptions. For any ethical theory, there are objections that can be raised against those core ideas, principles, and assumptions. Several objections to utilitarianism are discussed in Chapter 3, Section 3.5 of the textbook, and John Stuart Mill (2017/1863) discusses 8 objections in Utilitarianism (in Chapter 3 of the textbook, the text can be found under “Primary Sources” and the objections under the section, “Objections and Replies”).

Choose one of these objections and briefly explain the core idea in your own words.

Reflect on the theory:

Present a scenario (real or imagined) in which a committed utilitarian would probably make one choice, but someone who finds this objection compelling would probably make a different choice. (In other words, put yourself in the mind of someone making that objection, and you’re imagining a scenario in which that person would likely make a certain ethical judgment but a utilitarian would make a different ethical judgment.)

Reflect on yourself:

In your view, does considering this situation strengthen and support the objection (thus showing a weakness to utilitarianism), or does it help strengthen utilitarianism by showing how a utilitarian could respond to that objection?

Thames, B. (2018). How should one live? An introduction to ethics and moral reasoning. Bridgepoint Education.

Chapter 3: Utilitarianism: Making the World a Better Place
- 1: Introduction to Utilitarianism
- 2: Putting Utilitarianism Into Practice
- 3: Common Misconceptions
- 4: Strengths of Utilitarianism
- 5: Objections to Utilitarianism
- 6: Varieties of Utilitarianism
- Conclusion & Summary
- Primary Sources: Chapter 2: What Utilitarianism Is, from Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill (1863)
The full-text version of this ebook is available through the Constellation suite accessed through your online classroom, mobile app, or the Constellation website. Chapter 3 provides a general introduction to utilitarianism and will assist you in the Week 2 discussions and written assignment (Case Study: Creating an Ethics Case Study), the Week 3 written assignment (Case Study: Applying and Ethical Theory), and the final paper (Case Study: Ethical Theory Application and Evaluation).

Discussion 2

To view the video in Kaltura: PHI208 SymposiumLinks to an external site.
PHI208 Symposium Video TranscriptDownload PHI208 Symposium Video Transcript

Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read Chapter 3 of the How Should One Live? An Introduction to Ethics and Moral Reasoning, and Chapter 2 of John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism . You should also read or view the resource your instructor has supplied for this discussion, which you will find in the instructor’s discussion prompt.

In the ancient Greece of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, a “symposium” was a banquet held after a meal, an “after-party” of sorts that usually included drinking, dancing, recitals, and engaging conversations on the topics of the day. For our purposes in this course, the Symposium discussions will not involve dancing, recitals, or a banquet, but they will provide food for thought on current ethical issues and direct application of the ethical theory discussed in each of these weeks.

For this Symposium discussion, your instructor will choose a topic of current ethical interest and a resource associated with it for you to read or watch. Your task is to consider how utilitarianism applies to the controversy, dilemma, event, or scenario selected by your instructor. It is a chance for you to discuss together the ethical issues and questions that it raises, your own response to those, and whether that response aligns with a virtue ethics approach. The aim is to identify, evaluate, and discuss the moral reasoning involved in addressing the chosen issue.

The requirements for the discussion this week are

View or download the selections of Philosophical Texts Download Philosophical Texts.
The goal of our symposia in this class is DISCUSSION. It will be instructive to allow our class material to inform and guide our discussions of the material in these videos, and indeed it is fascinating how well they correlate!
Remember ... I DON'T seek to avoid controversy in my classes. If you disagree with the videos, or someone else, let's talk about it respectfully and passionately. THIS is what symposia are all about.
Full disclosure ... I am a member of Jonathan Haidt's HETERODOX ACADEMY, and I endorse his vision of the university quite closely. Nevertheless, I want to hear dissenting voices and viewpoints, to respect them and engage them in honest and passionate discussion - THIS, to me, is the central role of the university in our society.
This week as we examine Utilitarianism we should keep in mind one of Professor Haidt's favorite quotations from John Stuart Mill, one of the most important Utilitarian philosophers:
“He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion... Nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them...he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.”
In our class we want to hear both sides, the reasons for them, and the strongest oppositions we can find to them. If you are the Wokest of the Woke, I want to hear what you have to say, and if you are as Conservative as they come, your position is welcomed and encouraged. More speech and not less!
Prof J
Jonathan Haidt: The moral roots of liberals and conservatives (Links to an external site.)