Which of the following considerations about utilitarism is correct?
A) The great 19th century utilitarians, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, believed that pleasure and happiness were different things.
B) Bentham was concerned with the quantity of pleasure that an action produces, not with distinctions based on the type of the pleasure.
C) Act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism consistently agree upon which actions are morally right.
D) Utilitarians believe that we can't compare one person's happiness with that of another.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Bentham's utilitarianism focused on the quantity of pleasure, not the type of pleasure. Mill, however, made a distinction between higher pleasures (intellectual and moral) and lower pleasures (physical and sensual). Option A is incorrect as both Bentham and Mill believed that pleasure and happiness were the same thing. Option C is incorrect as act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism can disagree on which actions are morally right. Option D is incorrect as utilitarianism involves the comparison of happiness and pleasure across individuals.

Which of the Following Considerations About Utilitarism Is Correct