Utilitarianism

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Utilitarianism

• Movie Clips
• Bentham and Mill
• Principle of Utility
• Rule Utilitarianism
• Case Studies and Discussion

PG-13
Strong Language
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Thin Red Line

• Nick Noltehow many of your men are you willing
  to risk?

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Counting Costs Making Tough Calls

• Military decision-making, and public policy
  generally (including economic policy), frequently
  make use of outcomes-based reasoning
• The right decision, action, or policy is often
  defined as the one that optimizes the balance of
  benefits over harms for all affected. For
  example
• President Trumans decision to use nuclear force
  on Hiroshima
• Gen. Omar Bradley at St. Lo
• Churchill and the Bombing of Coventry
• Lifeboat dilemmas
• Medical triage decisions

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Rules of Engagement
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Your thoughts
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Utilitarianism

• The utility (usefulness or moral rightness) of
  a policy is measured by its tendency to promote
  the good (or to prevent harm).
• Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)
• The good is simply pleasure
• John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
• The good is happiness - a more complex notion,
  achieved by living a principled and prudent life

Bentham and Mills were reformers concerned with
political reform and franchising the populace
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Benthams Act Utilitarianism

• Nature has placed mankind under the governancy
  of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It
  is for them alone to point out what we ought to
  do, as well as to determine what we shall do.
• The principle of utility . . . Is that principle
  which approves or disapproves of every action
  whatsoever according to the tendency which it
  appears to have to augment or diminish the
  happiness of the party whose interest is in
  question
• By utility is meant that property in any object,
  whereby it tends to produce benefit, advantage,
  pleasure, good, or happiness, or to prevent the
  happening of mischief, pain, evil, or
  unhappiness. . .

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Benthams Hedonistic CalculusPrin of Morals
Legislation, Ch IV

• Bentham envisioned an actual calculus of pain and
  pleasure, something like the following
• For every act (or choice), x (where xs effects
  are a function of time), there is a quantity
  U(x), the net utility of X for time t, such that

Bentham tried to provide a scientific standard
that anyone could apply in determining right from
wrong as opposed to subjective, dogmatic or
intuitive ideas of good.
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Net Utility

• For every human action, X, there is a quantity
  u(X) associated with that action, called the net
  utility of that act.
• This net utility of X is the sum of all the
  benefits (B) minus the harms (H) of the action X
• The net utility of X must be calculated for all
  individuals, i, affected by X thus
• u (X) 3 B(x) - H(x), for all i
• An action is morally right if it has a higher
  net utility than any alternative.

This is why Navy Options must take Calculus
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Early Criticisms of Benthams Approach

• Hedonism a moral theory fit for swine
• Atheistic leaves out God
• (and by extension, any higher-order moral
  considerations)
• Promotes selfishness calculus of pure
  self-interest

Benthams rebuttal Vulgar or not, nature has
placed us under two masters, pleasure and pain -
there is no other standard
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Those who walk away

• Why did they walk?
• Would you stay or would you walk away?
• or would you try and change it?
• What important values appear to be missing in the
  Utilitarian calculus?

LeGuin won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in
1974
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Modern Criticisms

• Quantification and measurability of the good
• Incommensurate notions of the good
• Ignores other, morally relevant considerations
• Human Rights
• Justice
• Distribution of the good
• Difficult and often inconsistent in practice to
  solve for U(x) and maximize this variable
• No supererogation
• No value in performing more than required by
  duty

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John Stuart Mills Revisions Utilitarianism

• Elevate the Doctrine of the Swine
• Pleasures of the intellect, not the flesh
• Qualitatively better, not quantitatively
• Happiness is NOT simply equivalent to pleasure
• lower quality pleasures
• shared with other animals e.g., food, sex
• higher quality pleasures,
• uniquely human, involving our so-called higher
  faculties

It is better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a
fool or a pig satisfied.
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John Stuart Mills Revisions Utilitarianism
(Cont)

• Utilitarianism is NOT equivalent to selfishness.
  Mill writes
• . . .between his own happiness and that of
  another, utilitarianism requires that one be
  strictly impartial as a disinterested and
  benevolent spectator.
• not the agents own happiness but that of all
  concerned.
• Notions like rights and justice are merely
  rules of thumb that represent underlying
  calculations of overall utility (rule
  utilitarianism)

Is this what Mill really meant?
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The Principle of Utility

• (or Principle of Greatest Happiness) says
• The greatest happiness of all of those whose
  interest is in question, is the right and proper,
  and universally desirable, end of human action.

The greatest good for the greatest number
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The Principle of Utility and the Nautical Almanac
- Mills

• Nobody argues that the art of navigation is not
  founded on astronomy because sailors cannot wait
  to calculate the Nautical Almanac. Being
  rational creatures, they go to sea with it ready
  calculated
• and all rational creatures go out upon the sea
  of life with their minds made up on the common
  questions of right and wrong, as well as on many
  of the far more difficult questions of wise and
  foolish.
• - John Stuart Mill -

stay with me
Mill 147 Intro - 139
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The Moral Almanac

• We shouldnt have to derive right and wrong in
  specific instances each time we face a dilemma,
  directly from the basic rules of morality
• Like the Nautical Almanac, we have a moral
  almanac i.e., the rules, laws, religious
  teachings, moral traditions, and customs of the
  past
• all of which reflect accumulated human wisdom
  about the kinds of actions and policies that tend
  to promote utility

Our moral rules of thumb
Mill 147 Intro - 139
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The Principle of Utility andThe Moral Almanac

• Principle of Utility performs three vital
  functions
• Explains the foundations, and offers
  justification, for our moral rules, laws, and
  customs, or
• Exposes the inadequacy of unjust laws or customs
  that do NOT promote utility and
• Offers us a means for resolving conflicts between
  rules and laws, or deciding vexing cases on which
  traditional moral rules and laws are silent

Protect the innocent
Treat as equals
Do no harm
Dont lie
Help those in need
Dont Steal
Respect life
Mill 147 Intro - 139
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Act vs Rule Utilitarianism
Act Utilitarianism
Rule Utilitarianism

• Assesses the consequences of our actions
• Is there justification in harming someone?
• An act is right if, and only if, it results in as
  much good as any available alternative

• Assess the consequences of following particular
  rules
• Is there justification in harming a small number
  of people in order to save a larger number?
• An act is right if, and only if, it is required
  by a rule that is itself a member of a set of
  rules, whose acceptance will lead to greater
  utility for society than any other available
  alternative.

Pojman 151-152
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Rule Utilitarinanism

• Set of utility-maximizing rules
• Simple rules of thumb you follow unless there is
  a conflict between them
• Help those in need
• Resolve conflict between the rules
• Keep your promises vs Help those in need
  e.g., What if you see someone in an emergency on
  your way to a meeting?
• Remainder rule
• Do what your best judgment deems to be the ACT
  that will maximize utility

Pojman- Page 152
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So how do you measure good/bad consequences?

• The principle of utility (or Principle of
  Greatest Happiness) says
• The greatest happiness of all of those
  whoseinterest is in question, is the right and
  proper, and universally desirable, end of human
  action.
• Happiness can then be looked at either long term
  or short term, physical pleasure or intellectual
  happiness
• Should allow everyone affected by the act to get
  a vote
• We already reason like this in many cases
• Act Utilitarian The principle should be applied
  to particular acts in particular circumstances
•  
• Rule Utilitarian An action is right if it
  conforms to a rule of conduct that has been
  validated by the principle of utility
•  

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Your Thoughts?

• WHAT DO YOU THINK OF UTILITARIANISM?
• IS IT LOGICAL? INTUITIVE?
• IS THIS A MORAL THEORY YOU CAN USE TO MAKE
  DECISIONS?
• Is pleasure vs pain the right metric?
• WHAT IS UTILITARIAN REASONING BASED ON?
• CONSEQUENCES (OUTCOMES) TELEOLOGICAL
• RIGHT/WRONG DETERMINED BY GOOD/BAD OUTCOME
• PLEASURE () PAIN (-)
• HUMAN FLOURISHING () SUFFERING (-)

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Evaluating Actions by Their Consequences
(Examples from the trivial to the life
determining)

• Example (Not a deep moral issue)
• Do I eat the donut this morning?
• Considerations
• Long term at least 500 calories ¼ pound to my
  body weight
• Short term pleasure burst of sugar in my mouth
• Will make me sleepy after about 45 min.
• I love donuts, they make me happy
• My heart condition
• Am I a SWO?
• Other consequences to consider?

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Little More Complex

• EXAMPLE CALCULATING THE
  CONSEQUENCES
• Should I stay in the Navy or Marine Corps after
  obligated service?
• How do I decide?
• One way is to look at consequences and
  measure happiness.
• stay in navy
  leave navy
• Job security (1000) Need
  to pay for college (-500)
• Get to serve country (200) Will miss
  the camaraderie (-100)
• Will have obligated service (-300) Will not
  have to deploy (600)
• Travel around world (100)
• Variety of duty (100)
• Have to leave home (-600)

Weighted Values Commonly Accepted
Decision-Making Process
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How would a Utilitarian divide 300?
Option A B
C Moe 100 150 300 Larry 100 100
0 Curly 100 50 0
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Triage
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Medical Triage Example
1) Will die without extraordinary measures
2) Will live- --dont treat now
3) Might save if they get medical attention

• Is this a fair concept?
• How do we morally justify letting people die
  without medical attention?
• Shouldnt we be trying to save every human life?
• How would you feel if you woke up on tent 1?
• How do we morally explain to the patient in tent
  1 they will not see a doctor?

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Triage Last Look
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Live or Let Die?

• You are a battlefield surgeon, and one of the
  wounded has been in a coma for several days, and
  the doctors believe has brain damage and are not
  certain he will recover.
• A new group of badly wounded arrive in need of
  immediate surgery. You determine that they need
  four different organs to live, and there are four
  surgeons standing by for your decision.
• If you take the four organs from the comatose
  soldier, you can save four people. (assume
  surgeries will be successful)
• Questions on the Case
• What kind of argument can you make for taking his
  organs?
• What kind of argument can you make for not
  taking his organs, and letting the other four
  die?
• What is the morally right thing to do?
• What kind of moral reasoning did you use?

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Closing the Hatch
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Crimson Tide

• Questions on Closing the Hatch
• Would you give the order to close the hatch?
• What moral reasoning did you use?
• But
• if your principle as CO is protect the lives of
  your men/women, then how do you justify giving
  the order to intentionally kill one of your men?
• Will this moral reasoning work in all
  situations?
• How do you deal with your moral conscience after
  closing the hatch?

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The Moral Point

• What is the difference between the case Live and
  Let Die and Closing the Hatch?
• In the case of the battlefield surgeon, you were
  willing to let all five die, rather than take the
  life of one, and in the Crimson Tide case, you
  were willing to take the lives of 3 to save 140
• Why?
• Is it just Math .saving 140 vs saving
  4? .Is that how we make decisions?
• How can we explain the different moral answers
  between the two cases?

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Problems and PitfallsLead in to Kantian Ethics

• Familiar Soviet proverb If you want to make an
  omelet, you have to break a few eggs
• Do the ends justify the means?
• Are the requirements of justice and protections
  of human rights negotiable at the bottom line?
• See Ford Pinto

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Criticisms

• Tyranny of the masses
• Cannibalism makes all but one person happy
• Ability to predict the future
• Forecast the consequences or the ends
• Which is fairer?
• Equal opportunity or equal happiness?
• 300 split 3 ways
• Are numbers the best metric?
• 1 life for 1? for 2?,,,for 5?...for 100?

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Teleological EthicsConsequential Principles

• Utilitarian Morality
• An act is good/bad, right/wrong, depending on the
  consequences or ends produced by that act
• If the consequences are good, the act is good.
• If the consequences are bad, the act is bad.
• Utilitarianism
• Judges the act, not the person
• Does not consider intentions or motive
• So, good intentions could produce a bad act
• And bad people (with bad intentions) can
  produce a good act

So much for good intent!
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More Thoughts

• Isnt the military the ultimate Utilitarian?
• We are willing to sacrifice soldiers to achieve
  our desired end state?
• Dont Utilitarians use some Kantian ethics? They
  have good intent!
• Patriot Act?
• Value of the individual
• Equal claim to triage treatment?

Haqlaniyah, Al Anbar, Iraq (Dec. 19, 2006) -
Marines assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines
(2/3) amuse Iraqi children while on patrol
through the city of Haqlaniyah, during Maritime
Security Operations (MSO) to develop the Iraqi
Security Forces.