Unit 5: Theories of Moral Standard

1. Hedonism

Hedonism (from Greek hedone, meaning pleasure) is the theory that Pleasure is the highest good and the ultimate standard of morality. An action is right if it produces pleasure and wrong if it produces pain.

Types of Hedonism:

• Psychological Hedonism: A descriptive theory claiming that human beings naturally seek pleasure and avoid pain.
• Ethical Hedonism: A normative theory claiming that human beings ought to seek pleasure.
• Gross (Cyrenaic) Hedonism: Advocates for intense, immediate, physical pleasure.
• Refined (Epicurean) Hedonism: Advocates for mental, long-lasting, and tranquil pleasure (Ataraxia).

2. Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism, or Social Hedonism, shifts the focus from the individual to society. Its core principle is the "Greatest Happiness of the Greatest Number."

Key Thinkers:

• Jeremy Bentham (Quantitative Utilitarianism): Argued that all pleasures are equal in quality. He developed the Hedonistic Calculus to measure pleasure based on Intensity, Duration, Propinquity, etc.
• John Stuart Mill (Qualitative Utilitarianism): Argued that some pleasures are qualitatively superior to others. "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied."

3. Kant’s Ethics (Deontology)

Immanuel Kant rejected the idea that consequences (pleasure/utility) determine morality. Instead, he argued that Duty and Good Will are the only things that are good without qualification.

The Categorical Imperative:

This is the supreme law of morality. Kant provided several formulations, including:

1. Universal Law: Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.
2. Humanity as an End: Treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end.

4. Perfectionism (Self-Realization)

Perfectionism, or Eudaemonism, argues that the moral standard is the realization of the whole self—not just the irrational desires (Hedonism) or just the abstract reason (Rigid Kantianism), but the harmonious development of the entire personality.

Comparison of Moral Standards