Rule utilitarianism is the variation that says that we must judge the worth of action by how well it conforms to moral rules that have been deemed good according to the utilitarian standard. Negative utilitarianism is a form of negative consequentialism that can be described as the view that we should minimize the total amount of aggregate suffering, or that we should minimize suffering and then, secondarily, maximize the total amount of happiness. According to extreme utilitarianism, rules are not rules. The selection was divided into 5 parts, excluding the introduction. Two essays on utilitarianism, written from opposite points of view, by j.
It can be considered as a version of utilitarianism that gives greater priority to reducing suffering negative utility or. Smart focuses on act utilitarianism, in which good and bad are judged solely on the consequences of a persons action. Phil 103 chapter 2 consequentialism introduction and. Smart and bernard williams this book consists of two essays one in support of utilitarianism and one against. Preface to the third edition preface to the first edition introduction. Philosophy and the meaning of life the value of philosophy, bertrand russell the province of philosophy, j. Smart published in 1961, together with a critique of it by bernard williams. It will be my object in the present study to state a system of ethics which is free from traditional and theological associations. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
John jamieson carswell jack smart ac 16 september 1920 6 october 2012 was an australian philosopher and academic, and was appointed as an emeritus. Jjc smart on ruleact utilitarianism for and against ruleutilitarians follow rules regardless of their consequences and therefore simply ruleworship for rule utilitarianism to work there has to be one rule identical to act utilitarianism. In the first part of the book professor smart advocates a modern and sophisticated version of classical utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the doctrine that the rightness of actions is to be judged by their consequences. Utilitarianism, many such critics favor another version of this theory called rule utilitarianism.
This is one of the better books on the topic, for utilitarianism, or ethics, or philosophy in general. Moore produced, as a result of philosophical reflection, systems of normative ethics. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view download pdf. Smart and bernard williams each take half the book to explain utilitarianism as they understand it, and to argue pro smart and con williams. The rights objection charges utilitarianism with being overly permissive. Start studying phil 103 chapter 2 consequentialism introduction and two versions of utilitarianism,j.
And so when we face a rule like keeping promises, an extreme utilitarianism could render it obsolete if the goodness of the consequences of breaking the promise exceeds that of keeping it. Williams argues that utilitarianism, when applied to certain cases, has implications that clash strongly with our. In the first part of the book, professor smart advocates a modern and. The distinction between these two types of ethical theory is explained in his essay extreme and restricted utilitarianism. An outline of a system of utilitarian ethics utilitarianism. Of course, there may be exceptions to such a rule in particular, atypical. In the first part of the book, professor smart advocates a modern and sophisticated version of classical utilitarianism. Of recent years normative ethics has become distinguished from metaethics.
As a result, the objection has been answered in a slightly different way. Smart does the best he can in the for essay in this brief volume, but the odds are stacked against him. Bernard williams this title consists of two essays on utilitarianism, written from opposite points of view, by j. Oup usa 1997 authors jack smart monash university abstract this article has no associated abstract. To maximize the sum total of welfare, utilitarianism requires one, sometimes, to violate others rights or other seeming moral constraints, such as the prohibition against. Smart makes use of something very like it in utilitarianism. This title consists of two essays on utilitarianism, written from opposite points of view, by j. Pdf the standard objection to the utilitarian vision of morality is that utilitarian socalled. Specifically, he defends extreme, or act utilitarianism as opposed to restricted, or rule utilitarianism. Utilitarianism, for and against in searchworks catalog. Smart 1 introductory 3 2 act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism 9 3 hedonistic and nonhedonistic utilitarianism 12 4 average happiness versus total happiness 27 5 negative utilitarianism 28 6 rightness and wrongness of actions 30 7 the place of rules in act utilitarianism 42 8 simple application of gametheory technique 57. Smart gives two arguments against rule utilitarianism.
What does smart mean when he says that moral rules are rules of thumb. John stuart mill famously summarised utilitarianism as the greatest good for the greatest number. Mark timmons ascribes this second response to the utilitarian in his recent book moral theory. In first part of the book prcasor smart a modern version of classical utilitarianism. Smart, an outline of a system of utilitarian ethics, in utilitarianism. A person who accepted the universalisation principle. Smart s essay on extreme and restricted utilitarianism. Smart, extreme and restricted utilitarianism bernard williams, utilitarianism and integrity peter singer, famine, affluence, and morality. Cambridge core political philosophy utilitarianism by j.
572 863 878 832 1674 13 314 1192 190 79 360 1652 978 306 578 777 1304 192 1091 1094 191 1404 332 792 156 86 283 751 549 71 186