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WalesReligious StudiesQuick questions
Religion and Ethics (Units 2 and 4)
Quick questions on Utilitarianism: Bentham, Mill and the consequences debate - WJEC A-Level Religious Studies
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are mill's refinements?Show answer
Mill's move from act to rule utilitarianism and from quantity to quality is meant to answer the charge that Bentham's theory is crude and can justify base pleasures or unjust acts.
What is model paragraph?Show answer
The most serious charge against utilitarianism is that it can sanction injustice: if the right act simply maximises aggregate happiness, then framing and punishing an innocent person to placate an angry mob, or sacrificing a small minority for a contented majority, comes out as obligatory, which violates deep convictions about rights and desert. Mill's rule utilitarianism is the standard reply: because a general rule against punishing the innocent reliably produces more happiness over time than a policy of case-by-case sacrifice, the rule utilitarian can forbid the unjust act on principle. The difficulty is a dilemma.
What is q1?Show answer
State the principle of utility. [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
What is the difference between higher and lower pleasures for Mill? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Evaluate the view that utilitarianism is the most useful approach to ethics. [20 marks]
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