Justice: Whats The Right Thing To Do Episode 02: PUTTING A PRICE TAG ON LIFE

To register for the 2015 course, visit PART ONE: PUTTING A PRICE TAG ON LIFE Today, companies and governments often use Jeremy Benthams utilitarian logic under the name of costbenefit analysis. Sandel presents some contemporary cases in which costbenefit analysis was used to put a dollar value on human life. The cases give rise to several objections to the utilitarian logic of seeking the greatest good for the greatest number. Should we always give more weight to the happiness of a majority, even if the majority is cruel or ignoble Is it possible to sum up and compare all values using a common measure like money PART TWO: HOW TO MEASURE PLEASURE Sandel introduces J. S. Mill, a utilitarian philosopher who attempts to defend utilitarianism against the objections raised by critics of the doctrine. Mill argues that seeking the greatest good for the greatest number is compatible with protecting individual rights, and that utilitar