Philosophies of Work: Utilitarianism I
Mon, Jan 29
Today we'll look at an ethical framework called "utilitarianism." Utilitarianism--first articulated by figures like Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806 - 1873)--holds that morality is largely a matter of calculation. The trick is to figure out which of our actions will benefit the most people, which Bentham, Mill, and friends define as maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. In this class, we'll look at a classical statement of this view, and in the next we'll see how contemporary thinkers apply it to more concrete questions about what jobs we should aim for and how we should think about charitable giving.
Goals - by the end of today's class, you will:
- Understand the basic utilitarian framework; and
- Know some of the major objections to this view, and how Mill attempts to respond to these objections.
Read This:
(Access readings through Perusall)
Primary reading: Mill's Utilitarianism, Book 2
Secondary reading: Singer - "Excellence in Opera or Saving a Life? Your Choice"
Do This:
After completing the readings for today, consider the following questions (which we will talk about in class):
- Utilitarians are sometimes criticized for laying out a moral theory that's too "demanding." For instance, if the utilitarian is right, they many of us may have an ethical obligation to see high paying jobs and donate much of our income to effective charities. Does this criticism resonate with you? How "demanding" do you think our moral obligations actually are?
- Does the fact that utilitarianism makes moral decision making almost "transactional" (i.e. the result of a concrete calculation along one dimension of value) make it more or less attractive to you as a view about ethics more generally.