Administrative information

Title	Utilitarianism
Duration	60
Module	A
Lesson Type	Lecture
Focus	Ethical - Ethics Fundamentals
Topic	Utilitarianism

Keywords

None

Learning Goals

Learner understands the principle of utility.
Learner understands the concept of consequence.
Learner understands the 'greatest happiness principle'.

Expected Preparation

Learning Events to be Completed Before

None.

Obligatory for Students

Gensler, H. J. (2017). Ethics: A contemporary introduction. Routledge. CH 10 Consequentialism (Utilitarianism chapter)
Crash Course Philosophy #36 - YouTube

Optional for Students

Utilitarianism: Bentham and Rashdall. Robert Shaver. In Roger Crisp (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the History of Ethics. Oxford University Press. pp. 292 (2013)
Introduction to Philosophy: Ethics. Chapter 5 Utilitarianism

References and background for students:

None.

Recommended for Teachers

None.

Lesson Materials

BME Slides in English

The materials of this learning event are available under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Instructions for Teachers

Outline

Introduction - short reflection on previous ethical frameworks (5 min)
Introducing consequentialism (5 min)
Utilitarianism
- Principle of utility (10 min)
- Calculating consequences (5 min)
- How to evaluate an action (5 min)
- Example + discussion (5 min)
- Critics of utilitarianism (10 min)
- Act utilitarianism vs. Rule utilitarianism (15 min)
Closing remarks (5 min)

More information

Click here for an overview of all lesson plans of the master human centred AI

Please visit the home page of the consortium HCAIM

Acknowledgements

The Human-Centered AI Masters programme was co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union Under Grant №CEF-TC-2020-1 Digital Skills 2020-EU-IA-0068.

The materials of this learning event are available under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

The HCAIM consortium consists of three excellence centres, three SMEs and four Universities