Preview

Utilitarianism In Nazi Germany Analysis

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1647 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Utilitarianism In Nazi Germany Analysis
Upon examination, the dissectioning of the philosophical spectra of Nazi Germany during the Second World War holds fundamental discrepancy of core beliefs in the ruling of the social construct. With specification, the rise in German Nazism posed challenges in keeping previously enlightened philosophical prospects; the idea of a superior race scrutinizes the condemning of the inferior race by means of exercising the belief of utilitarianism, and the social discourse valued in the predetermined designation of the extinction and eradication of an entire race. This deviation poses a critical synopsis on the questioning of the said proposition in such that the previously universally dominant Kantian principles regarding the issue of humanitarian …show more content…
The idea of utilitarianism stifles in the moral attributions of society itself. The belief that a social composition should prioritize and emphasize the usefulness of one’s individuality prompts the prosecution of those who are considered socially useless as morally justified: “The Nazi biomedical vision included the belief that certain ‘race’ are superior to others; that scientific management could solve social problems… to improve the genetic composition of their citizenry in hope of creating a society in which individuals would be economically useful” (Bekier). Seemingly, Nazi Germany perceived the prospect of utilitarianism to have the sense of ‘good’ moral judgement. This manipulation of moral values detain the functions of the social construct in agreement to a perceived goal, even if the violations of human existentialism are of prominent distinction. In addition, Nazi Germany believed that, biologically, certain types of humans contained infrequencies in the cellular genome. For this cause, the superior race are in obligation to eliminate certain genetic traits and override the natural discourse of evolutionary biology in order to pertain in social …show more content…
In other words, the derivative for the social advancement in Nazi Germany is necessarily approved without the approval of the targeted subjects. If the better well-being of the social construct can be harnessed from the required indoctrinations, even by the manner of violating one’s natural rights of self-approving existentialism, then the moral acquisition for that indoctrination is, by law, legitimate, This type of cogitation arises in the problematic consideration for the targeted subjects in scientific researching. Unlike Nazi Germany’s utilitarianist ordination, the Kantian principles socially argued that the regard for the people’s individual rights of construct are in designation of highest priority in medical experimentation. That is, medical experimentation in justification for the betterment of society cannot disregard the subject’s right of consent and agreement. Other sources for this necessity are to be profounded upon before the consideration for ‘necessary’ human medical experimentation. Bekier states, “According to Kantian principles (the categorical imperative), people cannot be forced to accept treatment or be subject to medical experimentation for ‘the good of the majority’. The

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “Hitler and the nazi’s drew upon the idea of the german social Darwinist’s of the late nineteenth century. Like the social Darwinist’s before them, the nazi’s belived that human beings could be…

    • 1347 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dehumanization happens all around the world and is overlooked by millions. When hearing the word “ genocide” many think about the Holocaust. To summarize, Dehumanizing was evident throughout World War Two but especially during the Holocaust. To begin, In the book Night, written by Elie Wiesel, Elie describes his experiences in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. In fact, The United nations crafted the Universal Declaration of Human rights after the second world war. Inhuman acts desecrated the conscience of mankind during the time, as a result, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was forged.…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hitler's Gleichschaltung was extremely successful in altering the cultural and economic landscape of Germany in the years between 1933 and the commencement of the Second World War in 1939. National Socialism touched every aspect of life; youth culture, the role of women, education, the economy and the effect it had on employment, the working class, as well as religion in the domination of the Christian Church. As this essay will explain, each of these individual developments in German society, which were initiated by the Nazi regime, came together to precipitate a complete cultural transformation for the lives of German people by 1939.…

    • 1336 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bergen's War And Genocide

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages

    It is offensive to attempt to explain these acts of beatings, rape, and murder with such petty excuses. In many ways, it makes it more appalling that they could view a life as so worthless that they would kill a life just to fit in with the social mass. In order for such severe brutality and demonic behavior to occur, there must be a deeper, more entrenched drive and willingness to exterminate. The depths of these deplorable acts cannot be explained by such hollow excuses. In order for these horrific acts of inhumanity to be able to take place within the German population, Goldhagen’s belief that the people must have had a deep seeded elimination antisemitic nature which welcomed the shift to an extermination attitude is valid. Only an inner nature of hatred could enable a man to perform these egregious acts of…

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    And in fact, many historians have been fairly comfortable to do so. But Christopher Browning’s account of the factors that encouraged regular Germans to take part in Hitler’s hideous plan reveals something of great importance where an event like the Holocaust is concerned. His Ordinary Men seeks to shift perspective away from the notion that those predisposed toward the behavior that perpetrated this greatest of human tragedies were inhuman and accustomed to operating in fashions more sociopathic than militarily appropriate. In doing so, he sets a sizable challenge for himself. Truly, there is no way to address why the German people participated in without elaborating upon some of the most unspeakable acts committed in modern history. To that end, Ordinary Men takes its readers through some difficult narratives that reveal brutal, amoral behaviors that would imply a society impoverished of intellectual, ethical or academic development to that point. Moreover, the base and vile nature of the war crimes committed against a people unprepared to defend themselves and presenting no legitimate antagonism to its aggressor, suggests that the German people themselves were inherently bad people, inclined toward acts of evil and…

    • 1712 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the onset of World War II approached, Adolf Hitler’s secret police began to systematically arrest enemies of the regime. As the regime evolved, so did its desire to control incarcerated political enemies. The concentration camps meticulously kept records of its prisoners: Ethnicity, who they were, why they were imprisoned, and other facts and figures. As the regime turned towards mass killings as its solution to the “Jewish Question”, Nazi’s began the systematic killing of Jews in concentration camps. The Nazi obsession of organizing ethnicities reflects Nazi superiority and racism, as they saw many ethnicities to be used for exploitation in labor camps. The Nazi obsession of data and record keeping reflects Hitler’s wish for proof that the Aryan race would achieve dominance. Nazi organization is historically significant because it began the world’s first deliberately recorded genocide, and provided the evidence needed to prove the Holocaust occurred.…

    • 859 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Unsurprisingly the most common questions proposed when looking into the causes of ‘The Holocaust’ are how and why a seemingly westernized nation like Germany, who were very culturally and technologically advanced, were able to turn everyday civilians into murderers or justifiers of murder. However my essay will not be looking at the answers to these sociological questions, my essay will in fact look at another attention grabbing topic from ‘The Holocaust’ that which the Nazis termed the ‘Final Solution’. This was at the time what many people of Germany saw as the solution to dealing with the problems of Jews. I will be analysing historical information and try to establish a particular time to when the decision was made to exterminate the Jewish people of Europe.…

    • 1544 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the article, “Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism”, Louis P. Pojman explained the grounds on which utilitarianism has been attacked and showed some possible response to its defenders which imply his positive attitude towards utilitarianism [1] . In order to argue that thesis, Pojman’s one important premise is the response to the no-rest objection. He believed that the agent should aim at maximizing his or her own happiness as well as other people’s happiness and is best not to worry much about the need of those not in our primary circle.[1] .…

    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nazi Race Experiments

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages

    During World War II, German doctors and physicians conducted harmful and cruel experiments with victims of the Holocaust; mainly in the concentration camp “Auschwitz.” Nazis’ goals were to improve their medical science, prove that they were the “Master Race,” and they also wanted to have better treatments for the personnel of the German Military. The experiments performed were often deadly, but the physicians didn’t care, and tested the prisoners anyway. Some of the many victims were Jews, Romans, and others, who never gave their consent. Following this further, the Nazi’s experiments were divided in three categories - Race Experiments, War Injury Related Experiments, and Medical Experiments.…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Bibliography: * "Ordinary Germans: Were Ordinary Germans Culpable for the Holocaust?" History in Dispute. Ed. Tandy McConnell. Vol. 11: The Holocaust, 1933-1945. Detroit: St. James Press, 2003. 183-190. World History In Context. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.…

    • 2303 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    As Lebensborn programs gained momentum, deliberately selected Aryan-appearing people endured various tests to be deemed fit for breeding. According to “The Nazi Eugenics,” Nazi doctors and Nazi communities actively sought out and “reported” people with mental or physical disabilities to be sterilized in order to promote eugenics and prevent contamination (1). Nazis targeted minorities for their traits and celebrated the enforcement of eugenics, establishing collectivism that strengthened the Nazi State. In fact, according to “The Biological,” the Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring enforced the invasive sterilization of almost “400,000 Germans”, resulting in hundreds of fatalities (2-3). These dangerous procedures resulted in the forced sterilization of unwilling victims in unsanitary conditions, however, sterilization of impure people quickly caught on. Surprisingly, the German influence of encouraging sterilization carried over internationally. Sterilization rates significantly increased in “American states...and new laws were passed in Finland, Norway, and Sweden during the same period” (“The Biological” 1), illustrating Germany’s influential presence on the international stage. Designed to restrict impure relationships, the 1935 ‘Blood Protection Law,’ “criminalized marriage or sexual relations…

    • 1641 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Doctors In The Holocaust

    • 1795 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The medical experiments can be divided into three categories: 1 - facilitating the survival of German military personnel, 2 - the testing of pharmaceuticals, and 3 - the advancement of the racial tenets of the Nazi worldview (Museum, Nazi Medical Experiments).…

    • 1795 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The emergence of the Holocaust and the Nazi party views can largely be determined as a result of modernity, as a reaction against the times. Yet, at the same time it can be argued that the National Socialist party can be characterized as a modern development. Modris Eksteins, George Mosse, and Zygmundt Bauman offer an in-depth look into both the anti-modern and modern aspects of the Nazi movement and the resulting Holocaust. Ekstein's work proves to be the most thorough of the three works in following the growth and progress of the Nazi party and Hitler's rise to power. Bauman covers more of the political side of the National Socialists, and especially appeals to morality and ethics, or rejection thereof, to portray his very opinionated points. Mosse, on the other hand, analyzes the people who fell victim to the ideology of the Nazi party, "In a sense, this study is a historical analysis of people captured to such an extent by an ideology that they lost sight of civilized law and civilized attitudes toward their fellow men," (Mosse, 9). For all three authors, modernity is the major force for change- the change that results in the rise of the national socialist party.…

    • 1938 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Holocaust Argument Paper

    • 1175 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Cited: Kor, Eva Mozes. "Nazi Experiments as Viewed by a Survivor of Mengele 's Experiments." Caplan, Arthur L. When Medicine Went Mad: Bioethics and the Holocaust. Totowa: Humana Press, 1992. 7. Book.…

    • 1175 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Holocaust has become the standard by which crimes against humanity are measured. It is defined as the industrialized mass-murder of predominately Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the homeless, and the disabled; orchestrated and directed by the German Nazi Government1. Many questions arise such as: why was it socially allowed? How were the murders concocted? And what is meant by “industrialized?” Industrialized murder is the mechanized, impersonal, and sustained mass destruction of human beings, organized and administered by states, legitimized and set into motion by scientists and jurists, sanctioned and popularized by academics and intellectuals (Bartov 4). To move forward, it’s important to understand that industrialized…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays