Introduction to Utilitarianism

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A concise, accessible, and engaging introduction to modern utilitarianism.

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Theories of Well-Being

“To what shall the character of utility be ascribed, if not to that which is a source of pleasure?” – Jeremy Bentham 1 1 Table of Contents Introduction Hedonism The “Evil Pleasures” Objection The Experience Machine Objection Desire Theories Bizarre Desires Changing Preferences Objective List Theories Is Objective Value “Spooky”? Alienation Practical Implications of Theories of Well-Being Conclusion Resources and Further Reading Introduction Welfarism Hedonism Desire Theories Objective List Theories Introduction A core element of utilitarianism is welfarism—the view that only the welfare (also called well-being) of individuals determines how good a particular state of the world is. While consequentialists claim that what is right is to promote the amount of good in the world, welfarists specifically equate the good to be promoted with well-being. Philosophers use the term “well-being” to refer to what's good for a person, as opposed to what's good per se, or “from the point of view of the Universe” to use Sidgwick's poetic phrase. Utilitarianism holds that well-being is always good from the point of view of the universe, and not just good for the individual. But other views may coherently deny this. For example, one might think that [...] --- Outline: (00:18) Introduction (02:29) Hedonism (05:32) The Evil Pleasures Objection (08:45) The Experience Machine Objection (12:34) Desire Theories (15:29) Bizarre Desires (16:19) Changing Preferences (18:10) Objective List Theories (20:17) Is Objective Value Spooky? (23:07) Alienation (24:33) Practical Implications of Theories of Well-Being (26:08) Conclusion (27:37) Introduction (28:42) Welfarism (29:10) Hedonism (30:25) Desire Theories (31:35) Objective List Theories The original text contained 40 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://www.utilitarianism.net/theories-of-well-being --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

33 min
07/11/2023

1. Introduction to Utilitarianism

This chapter introduces utilitarianism, and its major costs and benefits as a moral theory. The original text contained 12 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/introduction-to-utilitarianism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

11 min
07/11/2023

2. Elements and Types of Utilitarianism

After defining utilitarianism, this chapter offers a detailed analysis of its four key elements (consequentialism, welfarism, impartiality, and aggregationism). It explains the difference between maximizing, satisficing, and scalar utilitarianism, and other important distinctions between utilitarian theories. The original text contained 30 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/types-of-utilitarianism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

31 min
07/11/2023

3. Arguments for Utilitarianism

This chapter explains reflective equilibrium as a moral methodology, and presents several arguments for utilitarianism over non-consequentialist approaches to ethics. The original text contained 35 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/arguments-for-utilitarianism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

26 min
07/11/2023

4. Theories of Well-Being

Explores the three major theories of well-being, or what makes a life good for the individual living it: hedonism, desire theory, and objective list theory. The original text contained 38 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/theories-of-wellbeing --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

26 min
07/11/2023

5. Population Ethics

Population ethics tackles questions like how we should weigh new lives against existing lives, and how we should balance quantity and quality of life (when comparing different-sized populations). This chapter critically surveys five major approaches to population ethics: the total view, the average view, variable value theories, critical level (and critical range) theories, and person-affecting views. The original text contained 63 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/population-ethics --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

34 min
07/11/2023

6. Utilitarianism and Practical Ethics

Utilitarianism has important implications for how we should think about leading an ethical life. Despite giving no intrinsic weight to deontic constraints, it supports many commonsense prohibitions and virtues in practice. Its main practical difference instead lies in its emphasis on positively doing good, in more expansive and efficient ways than people typically prioritize. The original text contained 27 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/utilitarianism-and-practical-ethics --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

24 min
07/11/2023

7. Near-Utilitarian Alternatives

There are several ways to reject aspects of utilitarianism while remaining on board with the general thrust of the theory (at least in practice). This chapter explores a range of such near-utilitarian views, to demonstrate the robustness of utilitarianism's practical recommendations. Even if you think the theory is technically false, you may nonetheless have good grounds to largely agree with its practical verdicts. The original text contained 25 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: January 29th, 2023 Source: https://utilitarianism.net/near-utilitarian-alternatives --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

22 min

A concise, accessible, and engaging introduction to modern utilitarianism.

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Introduction to Utilitarianism