Filozofska istraživanja, Vol. 28 No. 2, 2008.
Original scientific paper
Utilitarianism
Boran Berčić
; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Philosophy, Croatia
Abstract
In this article the author examines basic intuitions for and aginst utilitarianism, primarily the problems that utilitarins face within the domain of distributive justice. The clash of intuitions is examined in the idealized situation in which we distribute “mana form haven”, that is, in a situation in which merits, needs, property relationships form the past, etc. are irrelevant by assumpition. (10,10; 10,15; 5,25) Even in a such situation, distribution preffered by utilitarianism seems problematic. Inutitions about equality, priority, absolutely and relatively better position, marginal utility, etc. are strong even in the purely abstract situation. It is interesting that utilitarianism is not in conflict with egalitarianism in all possible situations; utilitarian inutitions in conjunction with intuitions about priority and marginal utility in fact have egalitarian consequences.
Keywords
Consequentialism; utilitarianism; intentions; consequences; greatest happiness principle; calculus of happiness; distribution of goods; egalitarianism; marginal utility; minimum; priority
Hrčak ID:
27865
URI
Publication date:
24.7.2008.
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