Utilitarianism

Conclusion: Utilitarianism is pleasure without pain as one; not pleasure in itself.

Premises:

1. Pleasure goes hand in hand with freedom from pain (i)
    a. Everything desired by the utilitarian is desired for pleasure (7)
    b. Everything desired by the utilitarian is desired to promote pleasure and prevent pain (7)

2. Pleasures range in quality (8)

     a. Utilitarians acknowledges that some pleasures are more desirable and more valuable than others (8)

     b. Some pleasures can be attended with amounts of discontent (9)

3. People differ in the requirements needed to make them happy (9)

    a. Pleasure without pain is found in different ways by different people (i)

    b. A being with higher faculties requires more to make him happy and is probably capable of more suffering because they can access suffering more than other, more inferior, individuals (9)

4. To the utilitarian, happiness is that for them and everyone around them (17)

    a. Happiness is not defined or determined by the person feeling it (or the agent) but by everyone who is concerned (17)

    b. Utilitarianism requires individuals to separate themselves from others when judging and identifying happiness (i)

    c. Those determining happiness must be impartial

Morality versus Luck

Conclusion: Luck presents a serious challenge to morality.

1. Morality insists moral obligation is directed by what to do, governed by moral reasons and concerned with a particular situation (45).
• There is no need to search for an obligation if there does not appear to be one.
• One should act in a certain way because it is the best way to get an outcome, not every consideration is an obligation itself.
2. Moral obligation is a kind of practical conclusion (46).
• An action must be in an agent's power.
• It is questionable as to what it means for someone to act and what is in their power.
• Moral obligations cannot conflict (47).
• Prima-facie obligations are conclusions, supported by moral considerations, which are possible actual obligations.
• Moral obligation is inescapable (48).
• There is a grey area as to what a promise is to be considered, an obligation or voluntary.
3. Blame is an inevitable characteristic first-personal reaction in morality (48).
• Blame is formed by internalization.
• It is possible for agents to never blame anyone due to skepticism of what is in another's power.
4. Morality tries to make everything into obligations (50).
• Obligations do not have to win in a conflict with moral consideration.
• One is under no obligation to act for a cause nor do everything for a cause.
5. Morality leads to wasting time doing things one has no obligation to (52).
• The importance of situations varies between people and can be seen in the relative sense (53).
• There is a distinction between importance and deliberative priority.
• Deliberative priority outweighs most other considerations and also occurs in our deliberation.
• The immediacy to oneself generates one's obligation (55).
6. A conclusion of high priority and importance means one "must" do something and is called practical necessity (57).
• It may not be associated with other's expectations or blame as in morality(58).
• "Must" is now unconditional rather than morality's conditional.

Utilitarianism for the Greater Good

Conclusion: The happiness of many people is greater than the happiness of a single individual.

Premises:

1. Pleasure is measured in quality and quantity (2, 12).
  a. Quality of pleasure is based off of humans using their better abilities (2, 9).
  b. Quantity is based off of the greater number of people being happy (i).
  c. Quality actions also make up the quantity of good among humans (2, 19).

2. It is honorable to give up happiness for other's happiness (2, 16).
  a. One can live without happiness. For example: martyrs or heroes (2, 15).
  b. A lack of happiness is not present by these people, but a transfer of happiness to others (2, 16).
  c. A loss of happiness that does not upturn total happiness is not a true expense (2, 17).
  d. The act of sacrificing happiness, for the greater good of others, is actually good; returning happiness to the sufferer (i).

3. Individual pursuit of happiness adds to society's happiness (i).
  a. One who helps others for his own benefit adds to society's and one's own happiness (2, 18).
  b. A lot of actions are intended for individuals, which makes up the world's good (2, 19).
  c. The exponential growth of happiness in society is greater than an individual's happiness (i).

4. The "greatest happiness principle" supports the "martyrs" and heroes" (2, 17).
  a. Utilitarianism acknowledges the "greatest happiness principle" (2, 7).
  b. The "greatest happiness principle" is based off of overall happiness (2, 7).
  c. Although it is less happy for the "martyr" it is supported by Utilitarians and the "greatest happiness principle" (2, 16).

A brief note on the outlines

From now on, outlines with conclusions that have not been confirmed will be taken down.

Second, if outlines include verbatim passages from the course texts (even with citation), the grade is an automatic C.

Please read the Argument Outline assignment description.

Jonathan Dancy on Moral Particularism

I mentioned a podcast in class called "Philosophy Bites", which contains an interview with an eminent (usually British, because the philosophers producing it are British) philosopher. The podcasts address different topics in contemporary philosophy (usually Analytic philosophy).

The link for the podcast's website is http://philosophybites.com/, but I have also included a link directly to the podcast that I mentioned in class. That was a short interview with Jonathan Dancy, who was speaking about "Moral Particularism".  This topic would be of interest to you specifically because it presents an objection to the basic premise behind deontology--namely, that morality is expressed by the rules that govern our actions.

FYI: these podcasts are all free.

The Role of Love and Respect in Friendship

Conclusion: It is impossible to have both love and respect in a friendship.

Premises:

1. Perfect friendship is ideal, but unattainable.

     a. Perfect friendship is when two people are connected with equal mutual love

     and respect (46/470)

     b. It is a person’s moral duty, a duty of love, to tell a friend his/her faults (46/470)

     c. Telling a friend his/her faults lead to lack of respect (46/470)

2. It is difficult to distinguish between feeling for duty and feeling for the other person (46/470)

     a. Feeling for duty=feeling of benevolence (general love of mankind, 27/451)

     b. Feeling for other person=respect (duty of virtue, 25/450)

     c. If one person loves the other more, it is not possible to have both equal mutual      

     love and respect (i)

3. Friendship cannot be maintained when one person benefits from the other (i)

     a. There is still equality in love (46/471)

     b. However, there is no equality in respect, because the person who benefitted

     simply sees himself/herself as not yet unable to return the gesture (46/471)

4. Friend of mankind in general is taking a general interest in the well-being of everyone (47/473)

     a. Based on obligation (47/473)

     b. Relationship of protector and of one being protected is a relationship of mutual

     love, but cannot be friendship because respect is not equal

5. Moral friendship exists, but is based only in respect (47/472)

     a. Moral friendship is when the two persons feel confident about sharing and

     being open with their ideas toward each other (47/472)

     b. This openness is based on respect, but not necessarily on mutual love (i)

The Morality of Benevolence

Conclusion: The duty of benevolence is still moral under universal law.

1. Morality contains the principles of both mutual love and respect (24/449).

a. Mutual love occurs when a person is directed towards another person (24/449).

b. Respect occurs when two people are directed to keep themselves at a distance (24/449).

c. (i) An act is moral if it contains a balance of mutual love and respect.

2. Immorality results in a lack of either mutual love or respect (24/449).

a. (i) An act is immoral if it contains an imbalance of  mutual love and respect.  

3. (i) A morally-practical relationship is based on universal legislation.

a. Every morally-practical relationship between oneself and another person is representative of pure reason (27/451).

b. Pure reason includes free actions based on maxims in which universal legislation is appropriate (27/451).

4. Benevolence is a general love of mankind (28/452).

5. (i) Benevolence contains the principle of mutual love.

a. Love is the maxim of benevolence (25/449).

b. Benevolence is a practical love (27/451).

c. Mutual love is a practical love (25/449).  

d. Benevolence is a duty of all people towards one another (27/451). 

6. (i) Benevolence contains the principle of respect.

a. Respect is the maxim that limits one’s self esteem within the relationships between other people (25/449).

b. Respect directs one to compare the worth of oneself to the worth of another person (25/449).

c. Legislative reason includes oneself among every person (27/451).

1c. The duty of mutual benevolence is universally legislated (27/451).

2c. Actions appropriate for universal legislation cannot be selfish (27/451).

d. (i) Under universal law and the principle of respect, one can be benevolent to oneself and to other people.