Discuss the relationship between Consequentialism and Classical Utilitarianism
Prepare as much as you need to write to correctly answer these questions. This will vary from student to student. Write as much as you need to in order to fully answer each question. Be as concise as you can be without sacrificing the quality of the content of your answers. You do not need to write formal essays. Just answer the questions clearly, precisely, and completely. Your goal is to make it obvious to your instructor that you understand the relevant material. Of course, a good answer will explain any philosophical or technical terms used in an answer.
Label each answer with the appropriate question number, including question sub-parts. Each question, and question sub-part, should begin a new paragraph. Do not rewrite the questions.
Questions 1 5 concern Consequentialism and Deontological Side-Constraints.
1. Please explain what Consequentialism is.
2. Please explain the relationship between Consequentialism and Classical Utilitarianism
3. Please explain what a Deontological-Side Constraint is.
4. Consider the following principle:
(P1)One must never act in such a way as to reduce the pleasure of another person unless that other person has freely given their consent.
Is P1 a Consequentialist moral principle or a deontological side-constraint? Explain and justify your answer. Draw on what you wrote in Questions 1, 2, & 3 to do this.
5. In the last paragraph of the selection from Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia (i.e. the selection assigned for this class), he attempts to provide and answer to the following question. Why may not one violate persons for the greater social good? Please explain Nozick’s answer to this question.
Foot talks about moral significance of differences between doing and allowing, and connects this to the concepts of negative duties and positive duties. Questions 6 8 concern those issues.
6. Please describe one of Foot’s examples where two negative duties clash. State which duty she takes to be the morally prevailing duty in that case and explain why it prevails.
7. Please describe one of Foot’s examples where two positive duties clash. State which duty she takes to be the morally prevailing duty in that case and explain why it prevails.
8. Please describe one of Foot’s examples where a negative duty and a positive duty clash. State which duty she takes to be the morally prevailing duty in that case and explain why it prevails.
