Utilitarianism Essays and Term Papers
Last update: August 23, 2014-
Pleasures Under Mill’s Utilitarianism
The Higher and Lower Pleasures in Mill's Utilitarianism1 In Utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill outlines his belief that, contrary to Benthem's utilitarianism, there are actually variations not just in the quantity of pleasure an action produces, but also in the pleasure's quality. Mill finds two distinct pleasures: that of the "fool satisfied" (hereinafter referred to as "beast," "fool satisfied," or "lesser being") and that of the intelligent, instructed, person of feeling and conscience (hereinafter referred to
Rating:Essay Length: 844 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: March 6, 2010 -
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism says that the moral and ethical thing to do is that which provides the most happiness or the least unhappiness to society. Sitting in class listening to the lecture on the moral theory of Utilitarianism it first sounded like the best moral theory ever. However as the classes continued and we learned more and more about this theory my opinion quickly changed. In this paper I will defend the idea that Utilitarianism is a
Rating:Essay Length: 1,136 Words / 5 PagesSubmitted: March 10, 2010 -
Utilitarianism
When faced with a moral dilemma, utilitarianism identifies the appropriate considerations, but offers no realistic way to gather the necessary information to make the required calculations. This lack of information is a problem both in evaluating the welfare issues and in evaluating the consequentiality issues which utilitarianism requires be weighed when making moral decisions. Utilitarianism attempts to solve both of these difficulties by appealing to experience; however, no method of reconciling an individual decision with
Rating:Essay Length: 1,325 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: March 21, 2010 -
Mill’s Utilitarianism
Mill's Utilitarianism When faced with a moral dilemma, utilitarianism identifies the appropriate considerations, but offers no realistic way to gather the necessary information to make the required calculations. This lack of information is a problem both in evaluating the welfare issues and in evaluating the consequentialist issues which utilitarianism requires be weighed when making moral decisions. Utilitarianism attempts to solve both of these difficulties by appealing to experience; however, no method of reconciling an individual
Rating:Essay Length: 1,317 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: March 26, 2010 -
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism could be summed up by the phrase "the greatest happiness for the greatest number." The idea was first coined by Francis Hutcheson (1694- 1746) who wrote a book called "An inquiry into the original of our ideas of beauty and virtue" Although strictly speaking he is not a Utilitarian; he laid down the very basic ideas of this theory. The theory of utility is later on put forward by David Hume a Scottish philosopher.
Rating:Essay Length: 1,278 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: March 28, 2010 -
Utilitarianism Mill
Mill's Utilitarianism When faced with a moral dilemma, utilitarianism identifies the appropriate considerations, but offers no realistic way to gather the necessary information to make the required calculations. This lack of information is a problem both in evaluating the welfare issues and in evaluating the consequentialist issues which utilitarianism requires be weighed when making moral decisions. Utilitarianism attempts to solve both of these difficulties by appealing to experience; however, no method of reconciling an individual
Rating:Essay Length: 1,317 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: March 31, 2010 -
Utilitarianism
Mill's Utilitarianism brings an extended concept of Bentham's philosophy and a response to Kant's deontological philosophy. The basic concept of utilitarianism is to act in such a way as to create the most pleasure or the least pain. This is the guideline because, as Mill states, we desire happiness; happiness is maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. However, is utilitarianism viable? There are many arguments for it, but just as many against. First, utilitarianism allows for
Rating:Essay Length: 1,137 Words / 5 PagesSubmitted: April 8, 2010 -
John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism
Within John Stuart Mill's "Utilitarianism and the 1868 Speech on Capital Punishment," much is said on topics of being happy/unhappy and decision making being just or unjust. Specifically, Mill tackles this idea in Chapter five, which deals with justice and utility. The first question Mill will toss around is about being just or unjust to give a superior remuneration based upon skill or talent. Mill states that he sees two sides of justice working. On
Rating:Essay Length: 1,096 Words / 5 PagesSubmitted: April 12, 2010 -
What Are Three Concerns You Have About Utilitarianism as a Guide to Moral Actions?
What are three concerns you have about utilitarianism as a guide to moral actions? a. The utilitarian belief is to perform actions that maximize one’s own happiness. This in itself is a present concern to me. With such selfish ways of thinking, the world would go to hell in a hand basket. With the vast array of likes and dislikes in our society today, if everyone did what made them happy, many people would be
Rating:Essay Length: 743 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: April 20, 2010 -
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is the ethical theory proposed by John Stuart Mill that says all actions should be directed toward achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Utilitarianism is a concept that holds an action to be held right if it tends to promote happiness for the greatest number of people. Utilitarianism is a tradition stemming from the late 18th- and 19th-century English philosophers and economists Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill that
Rating:Essay Length: 808 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: May 26, 2010 -
The Philosophical Approaches of Kant’s Deontology and Mill’s Utilitarianism in Reviewing the Movie Extreme Measures
In the 1997 film Extreme Measures a young British doctor, Guy Luthan, who is serving a residency in a New York hospital, is faced with some difficult moral and professional dilemmas. This film used Dr. Luthan's dilemmas, which dealt with these sensitive issues of doing what is right regardless of the consequences involved, as well as questions involving scientific advancement and experimentation. How far can medicine go in the name of progress or helping humanity?
Rating:Essay Length: 1,616 Words / 7 PagesSubmitted: June 2, 2010 -
Kantian Vs Utilitarianism
KANTIAN ETHICS The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant is the most important prominent in philosophical history of deontological, or duty based, ethics. In Kant's view, the sole feature that gives an action moral worth is not the outcome that is achieved by the action, but the motive that is behind the action. And the only motive that can endow an act with moral value, he argues, is one that arises from universal principles discovered by
Rating:Essay Length: 1,674 Words / 7 PagesSubmitted: May 19, 2011 -
Kantian'S V. Utilitarian'S
Kantian and Utilitarian theories have been highly debated moral ethical theories for centuries. The Kantian theories central motivation is the concept that it should always be possible for an individual to do the right thing as long as it is within an individual’s own power to accomplish this. On the other hand, the Utilitarian theory focuses the determination of right and wrong merely on the results/consequences of choosing an action over other possible actions. These
Rating:Essay Length: 997 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: November 30, 2014 -
Journal 2 - Classical Utilitarianism
JOURNAL 2 For my journal this week, I will be talking about chapter 4 and 5. In the following paragraphs, I will be elaborating on egoism, altruism and social contract which is chapter 4 of the textbook. This chapter responded to questions to why some people care about other’s interest due to the future help that person can give you. It also expounded on why others only do care about themselves and why not
Rating:Essay Length: 913 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: October 28, 2017 -
Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide, Egoism & Utilitarianism
Danny Cross Prof. Cecere PHI 220-101M Ethics 11/30/2017 Term Paper: Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide should be legalized in both voluntary and involuntary forms in cases of those beyond recovery and beyond a life worth living. The motion of dying as a blessing comes from Greek roots and roughly translates to “easy death”. Involuntary or passive forms of euthanasia would be like the removing of a feeding tube on a patient who
Rating:Essay Length: 3,927 Words / 16 PagesSubmitted: December 3, 2017 -
Explain How the Concept of Integrity Is a Challenge to Utilitarian Ethics, According to Williams
Joonhee Park December 15, 2016 PHIL-220: Moral Philosophy Final Exam 1. Explain how the concept of integrity is a challenge to utilitarian ethics, according to Williams. The theory of utilitarian ethics is the view that all actions are considered “morally good” if the actions maximize general well-being. The concept of integrity requires that a person act out of their own convictions and out of obligations that they deeply identify. The concept of integrity is a
Rating:Essay Length: 1,395 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: February 6, 2018