Introduction to Philosophy — Season 1, Episode 3: On Consequentialism
Documentary, Talk • 66 min • 1 season, 1 episodes
Episode synopsis
In lecture three, we explore consequentialist ethics, focusing on utilitarianism as developed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. We examine how actions are judged by their outcomes rather than intentions or character, considering key concepts like the principle of utility, the felicific calculus, interpersonal comparisons, and Mill’s distinction between higher and lower pleasures. Dr. Bonevac also addresses practical challenges and objections—such as conflicts with rights and calculation difficulties—while highlighting utilitarianism’s systematic, consequence-based approach to resolving moral dilemmas.
About Introduction to Philosophy
In Introduction to Philosophy, a nine-hour course, Dr. Bonevac guides us through the major traditions of Western philosophy in eight engaging lectures on ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. We explore three key ethical frameworks—virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism—before tackling fundamental questions about reality, from realism to idealism. The course then examines theories of knowledge, weighing skepticism’s doubt, rationalism’s innate ideas, and empiricism’s reliance on experience. Finally, we consider how these philosophical traditions continue to shape debates about morality, reality, and human understanding today.