Bentham's Hedonic Calculus
Jeremy Bentham's quantitative method for evaluating pleasure and pain, proposing seven criteria: intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity, and extent. The calculus aims to objectively measure consequences and determine morally right actions based on maximizing overall happiness.
Real World
A hospital ethics committee deciding whether to allocate a scarce organ to one of two patients applies Bentham-style calculus: weighing each patient's life expectancy (duration), probability of survival (certainty), and number of dependents affected (extent).
Exam Focus
Don't just list the seven criteria — apply at least two to a concrete dilemma to demonstrate evaluative understanding and access higher mark bands.
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