Utilitarianism

1. Utilitarianism Dr. Schmid, Ph.D. Philosophy and Religion, UNCW

2. The Queen vs. Dudley and Stevens • In 1884, the small ship Mignonette set sail from England for the Americas. It ran into a terrible storm, and sunk at sea. Four men survived in an open boat. What followed led to one of the most famous cases in English legal history.

3. Four men in a boat • The four men—captain Dudley, first mate Stevens, sailor Brooks, and cabin boy William Parker, 17, were adrift for many days. They had just two small tins of turnips. After 6 days, they ran out of food. After 19 days, they discussed whether to draw lots, that one should be killed for the others. Brooks refused.

4. Cabin boy Willy Parker • William (“Willy”) Parker was 17. He had left home in a spurt of youthful ambition, “to test his courage at sea, and make a man of himself.” • Unwisely, he drank sea water, and lay sick and seemingly near death in the boat, as the other three men pondered their fate.

5. On the 20th day, Dudley, after discussing the matter with Stevens, and with the concurrence of Brooks, told Parker his time was up. He killed him with a penknife, and the three made use of him for survival. A terrible decision

6. Rescue at sea • Four days later, as Dudley noted in his diary (read in court): “On the 24th day, shortly after breakfast, we were rescued at sea.” • The men were taken back to England, where Brooks turned states’ evidence, and Dudley and Stevens were put on trial.

7. What Impacts the Morality of Their Action? • UTILITARIAN • Necessity – survival/happiness at stake • Parker’s condition vs. others • Other men had families, Parker an orphan • Set an example for others? • What is the “greater good in the long run”? • NON-UTILITARIAN • Cannibalism intrinsically wrong? • Killing intrinsically wrong? • Consent – Parker did not consent

8. Moral Reasoning – Type 1 • Consequentialist: what determines the morality of actions are the consequences it has for those affected. • Bentham & Mill: “Do that which conduces to the greatest utility for all.” Utility = balance of pleasure, happiness, benefit over pain, misery, harm. Bentham I.1-14

9. Utilitarianism’s Strengths

10. UTILITARIAN DILEMMAS LEGACY, what are the ethics of truth and agreement, compared to the “greater good”? HEINZ DILEMMA, property and legal rights vs. humane rights, predictability of outcomes, care for loved ones = special obligations? PATROL, military necessity vs. non-discrimination, rights of soldiers vs. civilians CHEROKEE VALLEY, right of eminent domain

11. Objection #1 to Utilitarianism: It justifies violating rights • Man on the bridge, “Transplant” and Lifeboat situation—Willy Parker • “Legacy” • “Heinz Dilemma” • “Cherokee Valley”—respect for group values. Rights • “Patrol”* • Eminent domain—individual rights vs. common good *Another objection: predicting the future

12. Ethical dilemma • Flooding and building a dam in “Cherokee Valley” would  $1B in business and skilled jobs and provide electricity to 2M people. • A traditional community of 300 Cherokee have lived there, under treaty, for 150 years. • The state can abrogate the treaty, by appeal to eminent domain, and purchase their property at fair value, but they object. • Should the state build the dam?

13. Ethical dilemma:Singer’s Argument • If we are able to prevent great harm* without comparable cost, we have a moral duty to do it. • We in the developed world can prevent great suffering in poor countries without comparable cost. • Therefore we have a duty to do it. *Whether someone is nearby or distant makes no difference in a global world.

14. Objection #2 to Utilitarianism: Is there a common basis of value? • Cherokee Valley: how important is tribal memory? • Patrol: how important is the mission? • Pinto, Philip Morris studies • Thorndike study

15. Can we set a value on life? • The Pinto had a rear engine and sometimes exploded in rear-end collisions • The decision not to recall them was based on this memo: • Questions: • Is it possible to set a $ value on life? • If not, how do we make policy decisions, like how high to set the bar for car safety?

16. Should we set a value on life? • The Czech government considered a law to severely tax smoking. • Phillip Morris funded a study which showed that although the costs of smoking are considerable, the state would actually benefit $150M, or $1225 per premature death over the next 30 yrs, by not passing the law. • Would it be wrong to decide against the smoking tax, based on this information?

17. Is there a common currency of value?How much $ would you want to? • Have someone pull out a front tooth? • Have someone cut off your 4th left toe? • Eat a small bowl of earthworms? • Live the rest of your life on a farm in Kansas? • Choke a stray cat with your bare hands?

18. How much $ would you want to: • Have someone pull out a tooth? • Have someone cut off a little toe? • Eat a small bowl of earthworms? • Live the rest of your life on a farm in Kansas? • Choke a stray cat with your bare hands? • $4,500 • $25,000 • $100,000 • $300,000 • $12,500

19. What, if anything, does the Thorndike study prove? • That it is possible to fix a common measure, even if the results are somewhat surprising, and different people might measure things differently. • That the whole project is absurd, and there are very great qualitative differences among pleasures and pains, though we may all agree on a ‘bottom line’ of misery (hunger, disease, slavery, etc.)

20. Ethical dilemma: Are there “higher” and “lower” pleasures? • Mill: “I would rather be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; there are qualitatively higher and lower pleasures, not just quantitatively greater and lesser, and those who have experienced both, know better.” • Bentham: “If numerically equal, pinball is as desirable as poetry.”