Teleology

Teleology

Teleological theories refer to acting to achieve an outcome that is in keeping with the chosen goal, or that produces the best consequences overall. The goal must be clearly stated and be morally worthy of being pursued. The goal is called the “good.” Any actions that will help pursue this goal are considered morally right, and vice versa.

To determine what we ought or ought not to do, pleasure and pain must be the prime consideration. Pleasure, or happiness, is the “good” which we must pursue, and pain is the opposite, which we must diminish or decrease as much as possible. Therefor, ethical behavior is behavior that creates as much happiness as possible and causes as little pain and suffering as possible.

Bentham, an ethical theorist, wanted to make ethics simple and practical, so he developed as system for measuring the amount of pleasure and pain that an action would produce. His system was called the “hedonistic calculus”. These actions can be measured and used to compare the results of different actions in order to choose the one that will produce the most happiness and least pain for the most people. The seven aspects to consider are: 1. The intensity of pleasure or the pain produced 2. The duration or length of the pleasure or pain 3. The likelihood of these sensations being produced 4. How soon they will be felt 5. Whether they will lead to future happiness 6. Whether they will lead to future pain 7. The number of people who will be affected

Bentham’s system of measurement ensures that everyone’s happiness counts, but no ones counts more than anyone else’s. John Stuart Mill revised utilitarianism, adding the idea that happiness could be measured according to its quality, as well as by its amount. Some pleasures are of a higher quality, and therefore are more valuable than others.

There are two types of utilitarianism, act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism considers the immediate consequences to the individuals involved. This system applies a numbering system to measure the quantity and quality of pleasure and pain for each person. Whichever action has the highest total outcome of happiness is the right choice. Rule utilitarianism formulates rules based on long-range consequences to society, rather than to individuals.

Teleological moral systems are characterized primarily by a focus on the consequences, which any action might have (for that reason, they are often referred to as consequentialist moral systems, and both terms are used here). Thus, in order to make correct moral choices, we have to have some understanding of what will result from our choices. When we make choices which result in the correct consequences, then we are acting morally; when we make choices which result in the incorrect consequences, then we are acting immorally.

Bases its judgment on consequences or outcomes. For an outcome to be morally right there must be favorable consequences.
Promotes more realistic ways because human nature is taken into account. It puts outcomes before actions.

John Stuart Mill
-English philosopher and the eldest son of a well-known philosopher
-at the age twenty, Mill suffered a nervous breakdown and depression. This incident forced him to realize that he had never learned to respect emotions or allow himself to enjoy them, and he began to teach himself to feel his emotions. This may be why emotion, as well as reason, plays an important part in his philosophy.
He is best known for his defense of utilitarianism and individual liberty, and for the social changes he promoted as part of his greatest happiness theory.
Utilitarianism – claims that the ultimate goal of human action is happiness.

Act Utilitarianism
-Considers the immediate foreseeable consequences
-Uses an informal numbering system to measure the overall happiness of a course of action
-Which ever option has the higher amount of happiness is morally right.

Rule Utilitarianism
-Formulates rules based on long rang consequences to society rather than to individuals

Proponents View
It forces people to consider the consequences of their behavior to others and that it focuses on what is actually good or harmful to people, rather than on abstract rules and idealized principles of behavior. It is a simple and easy tool for deciding what is morally right or wrong.

Critics View
-It is not really possible to measure happiness
-There is no way we can make a reliable estimation of other people’s happiness. And yet if we don’t quantify happiness in ourselves and others we cant determine which course of action will produce the most overall happiness.
-It is often difficult and sometimes impossible to obtain all the information necessary to evaluate all the consequences of a course of action for all individuals.
-It does not always lead to an ethically acceptable course of action (murder)

Weaknesses of Teleology * harder to search for an answer * There is more scope to act in an immoral way * Implies that our law system which is based on rules cannot work

You are supposed to work a 5-hour shift at your part time job tonight. However your best friends just called and told you that they have a free concert ticket that they have just won, and it is VIP. You have never called in before and are unsure of what to do.
How would a utilitarian approach help you decide?