Utilitarianism trivia
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Utilitarianism Mini Quiz
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Commonly summarized as seeking the "greatest good for the greatest number," what ethical theory evaluates actions by their outcomes?
Jeremy Bentham, the father of Utilitarianism, was so committed to utility that he had his body preserved as an "auto-icon" to perpetually attend meetings at University College London, where he still sits today.
Often used to test utilitarian logic, what thought experiment involves a runaway train and 5 people on the tracks?
Philippa Foot originally introduced this problem in 1967 not to study trolleys, but to debate the ethics of abortion and the doctrine of "double effect" in medical scenarios.
Judging an action's value strictly by its results, utilitarianism is a branch of what broader ethical theory?
Consequentialism is so strictly result-oriented that, theoretically, if a clumsy assassin tries to kill you but accidentally shoots a venomous snake about to bite you, a consequentialist might argue they did a "good" deed.
Distinguishing between higher and lower pleasures, what student of Jeremy Bentham wrote the 1861 book Utilitarianism?
Mill learned Greek at age three and read Plato by age eight, a rigorous education designed by his father specifically to create a "utilitarian genius" who could lead the movement.
Whose preserved skeleton is kept at University College London to honor the philosopher who founded utilitarianism?
While his body is on display, Bentham's real head was mummified so poorly it looked terrifying and is now kept in a safe, replaced by a wax head on the skeleton.