Utilitarianism ethics
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Utilitarianism ethics
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[post_content] => Practice Passage (Question 1-6)
*This passage is the property of Khan Academy and has been reformatted into an AAMC-style interface in their entirety by MedLife Mastery. MedLife Mastery does not endorse and is not an affiliate of Khan Academy.
Utilitarianism is a philosophic conception of politics and ethics. For the Utilitarian, politics and ethics are interwoven into the science of moral duty; in other words, political philosophy and ethics are inseparable. A political action is valuable only insofar as it keeps in mind the ethical good of the people with which it is concerned; consequently, the welfare of the people in general was the supreme consideration of the Utilitarian philosopher.
To bring about this welfare, two courses of action must be pursued simultaneously: first, all hindrances to the betterment of the people must be removed; second, ideas and laws which will induce the betterment of the people must be promulgated. To accomplish these two outcomes there is needed, obviously, an adequate knowledge of human nature. This knowledge, the Utilitarian says, includes a knowledge of the motives of human action and of the ideal that animates human beings; and in order that one may acquire this knowledge correctly, it is necessary that he seek the facts dispassionately and scientifically through the mechanism of the senses. Superficial analysis should be discouraged, wild flights of the imagination discountenanced, and unverified assumptions discarded, for such mistaken methods produce only haphazard views of social life. Observation, experimentation, and sound generalization are absolutely necessary to the Utilitarian; wishful thinking, random guesswork, and loose generalization must be studiously avoided. “Utilitarian ethics,” said ethicist William L. Davidson, “is analytic, descriptive, and inductive, resting on ascertained facts; and its aim has reference to the right use of the facts, so as to advance social progress and for the concrete purpose of improving the existing conditions of life.” Ethical facts are of infinitely more importance to the Utilitarian thinker than ethical theories, no matter how ideal they may be or what their source.
At this point the intuitional thinker takes issue with the Utilitarian; for in denying the power of innate ideas, the Utilitarian by implication has ignored the Absolute, whether it be in the form of God, a Principle, or an Ideal. But the Utilitarian is not seriously alarmed by the seeming lack of an Absolute in his philosophy, for he believes that if all the ascertainable data of life can be found, analyzed, and applied, the superstructure of Truth will stand forth complete and unassailable. “Know the truth and the truth will set you free” might well be his motto. In the meantime, while the intuitional thinker elaborates rare webs from his inner being, the Utilitarian seeks to know the nature of man- his character, his wants, his limitations, and his possibilities.
The Utilitarian is intellectual. Utilitarians believe: first, that pleasure and pain are the mainsprings of human action; second, that the five senses give them a reasonably correct and complete account of the world around them; third, that all relationships between things in the external world are comprehensible to the human mind; fourth, that cause and effect are natural and not supernatural; and fifth, that ideas are not innate but acquired through experience and education. Utilitarianism as a mode of thinking is rational in its procedure; pragmatic in its attitude toward truth; scientific in its method; and skeptical in its consideration of conclusions. Occasionally he mounts to sublime heights in his perceptions; at times he descends to aridity and spiritual death. But at all times he keeps before himself one purpose- the scientific search for truth.
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[questions] => Array
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[question] => Which of the following statements about killing people is MOST in line with Utilitarian ethics according to the author?
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 2
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Beyond the Text” question, which means that it wants you to either apply or extrapolate the ideas in the passage to new situations or to assess how new information would impact the ideas presented in the passage. It is important to understand the assumptions underlying the article, and how new information may or may not shift the central thesis.
In paragraph 3, the author describes the Utilitarian “Truth” as something that is generated by “the ascertainable data of life,” and that Utilitarians are not so concerned with the power of innate ideas. A Utilitarian would not say that killing is morally wrong in some intrinsic sense or make universal statements including words like “always” that ignore variable contexts that determine its real impact (option 1). In paragraph 1, the author tells us that the primary goal of Utilitarianism is to advance “the welfare of the people in general.” A Utilitarian is therefore concerned with the general welfare, not the welfare of specific individuals, such as the victims (option 3). If it can be shown that killing is something that diminishes society’s overall welfare, a Utilitarian would find it immoral (option 2). Finally, any form of punishment (option 4), whether killing or imprisonment, would only be acceptable to a Utilitarian, if its demonstrated effect was to improve the general well-being of society, and that is not indicated in option 4.
Option 2 is correct.
)
[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. It is always intrinsically wrong.
)
[1] => Array
(
[each_answer] => B. It diminishes society’s overall welfare, so it should be forbidden.
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. It destroys the personal happiness of the victim, so it should be forbidden.
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[3] => Array
(
[each_answer] => D. It should be allowed as a punishment for harming others.
)
)
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[1] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3873426850
[question] => According to the logic of the author’s argument, if Utilitarians did not deny the power of innate ideas, then they would:
I. no longer ignore God.
II. have less reason to adopt the scientific method.
III. no longer believe that ethical acts are those that promote the general welfare of the people.
IV. be less likely to reject the existence of Human Nature.
[value] => Array
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[answer] => 2
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Within the Text” question. These items generally ask you to think about the author’s reasoning, such as what claim an author is trying to support with a piece of evidence, what assumption underlies a specific statement, or whether an argument is flawed.
In paragraph 3, the author states. “for in denying the power of innate ideas, the Utilitarian by implication has ignored the Absolute, whether it be in the form of God, a Principle, or an Ideal.” Thus, God is among the forms of the Absolute ignored by Utilitarians as a byproduct of their denial of innate ideas (I). Later in the passage, the author suggests that the Utilitarians alternative to relying on innate ideas is to create knowledge by using “all the ascertainable data of life can be found, analyzed, and applied” via “experience and education”, using the “scientific method”, so this too is a byproduct of denying the power of innate ideas (II). Paragraph 1 argues that Utilitarians believe that ethical acts are those that promote public welfare (III), but this is independent of their denial of innate ideas, because they could rely on such ideas to tell them what acts promote the public welfare. Finally, Utilitarians clearly do not reject the existence of Human Nature, as evidenced by the fact that the Utilitarian “seeks to know the nature of man.” (IV).
Option 2 is correct.
)
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[each_answer] => A. I only
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. I and II
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. II and III
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. All of the above
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[2] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 83407773
[question] => Based on the passage, a Utilitarian will always value:
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Beyond the Text” question, which means that it wants you to either apply or extrapolate the ideas in the passage to new situations or to assess how new information would impact the ideas presented in the passage. It is important to understand the assumptions underlying the article, and how new information may or may not shift the central thesis.
Paragraph 2 explains how Utilitarianism discourages “superficial analysis” and “wild flights of the imagination” (option 2). Rather, “observation, experimentation, and sound generalization are absolutely necessary to the Utilitarian; wishful thinking, random guesswork, and loose generalization must be studiously avoided.” The second sentence states that “for the Utilitarian, politics and ethics are interwoven into the science of moral duty; in other words, political philosophy and ethics are inseparable.” Thus, they would value ethics and politics equally rather than one over the other (option 1). In paragraph 2, the author writes, “Ethical facts are of infinitely more importance to the Utilitarian thinker than ethical theories” (option 3). Paragraph 4 also describes Utilitarianism as “rational in its procedure; pragmatic in its attitude toward truth; scientific in its method; and skeptical in its consideration of conclusions.” Statistics is an analytical science of large data, whereas anecdotes are stories that don’t meet the “analytic, descriptive, and inductive” standard of utilitarian ethics (option 4).
Option 4 is correct.
)
[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. ethics over politics
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. imagination to reason
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[2] => Array
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[each_answer] => C. theory to actuality
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. statistics to anecdotes
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)
[3] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 872728905
[question] => The significance of the statement “Utilitarians believe…that the five senses give them a reasonably correct and complete account of the world around them” is that Utilitarians:
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 1
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
In paragraph 2 the author writes that “Observation, experimentation, and sound generalization are absolutely necessary to the Utilitarian” (option 1). While there is evidence in the passage that Utilitarians may not believe in a greater deity (paragraph 3), that fact is not relevant to the sentence the question is asking about. The fact that Utilitarians value what their senses allow them to observe does not automatically mean that they do not believe in a greater deity (option 2). Health is not raised as an issue at all in the passage (option 3). Although the passage suggests that Utilitarians are skeptical, this fact is not relevant to the sentence the question is asking about. The last sentence in the third paragraph implies that part of what the Utilitarian seeks to know through the use of the senses is man’s limitations (option 4).
Option 1 is correct.
)
[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. believe in the power of observation.
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[1] => Array
(
[each_answer] => B. do not believe in a greater deity.
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[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. value their health above all else.
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. believe in unlimited human capacity.
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[4] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3143847772
[question] => Which of the following statements about utilitarian beliefs is NOT assumed by the author?
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 3
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Reasoning Within the Text” question. These items generally ask you to think about the author’s reasoning, such as what claim an author is trying to support with a piece of evidence, what assumption underlies a specific statement, or whether an argument is flawed.
Paragraph 2 explains the two main courses of action that Utilitarians pursue to bring about social welfare. First, “hindrances” to social betterment must be removed. Social progress (option 1) and social welfare (option 2) are both referred to as equally important goals of Utilitarian ethics in paragraph 2. The author writes in paragraph 2, “ideas and laws which will induce the betterment of the people must be promulgated. To accomplish [this] there is needed…an adequate knowledge of human nature.” Thus, Utilitarians believe that human nature should be analyzed and understood so that it can be motivated and shaped in accordance with the greater social good (option 4). If human behavior needs to be shaped, this implies that Utilitarians do not believe human nature will naturally promote the greater good (option 3).
Option 3 is correct.
)
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[0] => Array
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[each_answer] => A. Laws that impede social progress should be revoked.
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[1] => Array
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[each_answer] => B. Laws that impede social welfare should be revoked.
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[each_answer] => C. Human nature is naturally inclined to promote social welfare.
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[each_answer] => D. Human motives should be studied and incentivized for social welfare.
)
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[5] => Array
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[quiz_unique_key] => 3143847772
[question] => A common thread in the discussion of Utilitarian ethics is that the morality of one’s actions:
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 1
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This is a “Foundations of Comprehension” question which is asking you to recognize an accurate paraphrase or summary of the central theme or of particular statements in the passage, or to interpret word choices made by the author.
Paragraph 1 says that the welfare of the society in general is the “supreme consideration” of the Utilitarian philosopher, not the welfare of a single individual (option 3). We also know from paragraph 2 and 3 that Utilitarian ethics is not made up of a rigid set of laws that directly determine what is moral (option 2), because the Utilitarians believe that the truth about any particular issue must be discovered from observation and experimentation. If the ultimate concern of the Utilitarian philosopher is to optimize social welfare, then it is logical that the ethics of any given action would depend on whether or not its consequences promote that goal (option 1). Nowhere in the passage does it say that intent is important in the Utilitarian ethics (option 4).
Option 1 is correct.
)
[answers] => Array
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[0] => Array
(
[each_answer] => A. depends on the consequences of those actions.
)
[1] => Array
(
[each_answer] => B. is directly determined by a rigid set of laws.
)
[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. must lead to the fulfillment of one’s personal happiness.
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[3] => Array
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[each_answer] => D. can change depending on the intent behind the action.
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