Summarise the followin points on Distributive Justice - Utilitarianism, in one paragraph:

Question

• Utilitarianism is a central school of ethics
• John Stuart Mill linked utility to the greatest happiness - acts are right insofar as they promote the greatest amount of happiness
• For Mill happiness is determined in terms of pleasure and unhappiness in terms of pain
• Jeremy Bentham focused on the quantity of pleasure experienced - however this determination can become difficult
• Mill further distinguished the quantity and the quality of the pleasure involved utilitarianism aims to maximise happiness overall, taking everyone’s experiences into account
• Idea of equality/impartiality involved
• Utilitarianism is consequentialist - morality of act found in its consequences
• Ascertaining can be difficult - weighing interests and consequences
• Problem with possibly disregarding the interests of some?
• Example
• Act utilitarianism versus rule utilitarianism?
Welfare Liberalism - Claim that social justice is satisfied when people receive according to their needs
• John Rawls supports this idea as the basis of social justice, the essential attribute of a just state is fairness - he includes right to basic social welfare and the right to equal opportunity
• Our social situation is just if it is such that by a sequence of hypothetical agreements we would have contracted into the general system of rules which defines it
• Society which adhere to the principle of ‘justice as fairness’ would
come very close to the ideal of a voluntary scheme because it lives up to the principles that free and equal persons would assent to under fair circumstances
• Rawls’ theory draws on the idea of the social contract

Answer 1

Utilitarianism, a prominent ethical theory, is based on the principle of maximizing overall happiness, as defined by pleasure and minimized pain. John Stuart Mill emphasized the importance of considering both the quantity and quality of pleasure involved, aiming to achieve the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Utilitarianism is consequentialist, focusing on the outcomes of actions rather than intentions. However, this approach raises concerns about potentially neglecting the interests of some individuals. In contrast, Welfare Liberalism, as advocated by John Rawls, emphasizes social justice being achieved when people receive according to their needs. Rawls asserts that a just society is one in which individuals would agree to a set of rules under fair circumstances, ensuring basic social welfare and equal opportunity for all. His theory of 'justice as fairness' is based on the idea of a social contract, where free and equal persons would consent to principles that promote equality and fairness in society.