Utilitarianism homework

Ethics-DL-B1 Daylen Elosegui

Utilitarianism- J. Bentham's Felicific Calculus

Utilitarianism- J. Bentham's Felicific Calculus

· Felicific calculus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The felicific calculus is an  algorithm  formulated by  utilitarian  philosopher  Jeremy Bentham  for calculating the degree or amount of  pleasure that a specific action is likely to cause. Bentham, an ethical hedonist , believed the moral rightness or wrongness of an action to be a function of the amount of pleasure or pain that it produced. The felicific calculus could, in principle at least, determine the moral status of any considered act. The algorithm is also known as the utility calculus, the hedonistic calculus and the hedonic calculus.

1. Intensity: How strong is the pleasure?

2. Duration : How long will the pleasure last?

3. Certainty  or  uncertainty : How likely or unlikely is it that the pleasure will occur?

4. Propinquity  or remoteness: How soon will the pleasure occur?

5. Fecundity : The probability that the action will be followed by sensations of the same kind.

6. Purity : The probability that it will not be followed by sensations of the opposite kind.

7. Extent : How many people will be affected?