Utilitarianism and the Lonesome Stranger Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that believes one should do what will promote the greatest utility for as many people as possible‚ that utility is often considered to be happiness or pleasure. There are different kinds of utilitarian views; hedonistic‚ preference‚ rule‚ and act to name a few‚ but they all have the same main objective. This theory does indeed seem good at first‚ but it is flawed. The case of the lonesome stranger challenges utilitarianism
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created the utilitarianism school of thought‚ which is an incredibly useful ethical position. It can be most effectively defined by Wikipedia‚ "Utilitarianism is the idea that the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its contribution to overall utility." Utilitarianism has many benefits‚ but those benefits are harmonized with some major flaws. I will discuss the founding fathers of utilitarianism‚ the strengths and weaknesses of act-utilitarianism and rule-utilitarianism‚ other forms
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editor-in-chief “T h e c o u n t r y c o m e s f i r s t – a l w a y s a n d e v e r y t i m e ” . T he Indian Armed Forces inherited a very robust tradition of jointness‚ thanks to their large scale participation in World War II. That was the era of Admin Boxes in Burma where military garrisons cut off by Japanese infiltrating columns were kept supplied from the air and given fire support by the Royal Indian Air Force. No wonder‚ after independence‚ the British leadership heavily emphasised
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The prominant criticism of Utilitarianism is that it is extremely hard to predict the results of an action. The outcomes of all situations are hard to predict‚ so how can we possibly apply the rule of the greatest happiness for the greatest number if we do not know who will benefit most? It is also difficult to decide whether an outcome is morally good or bad. People have contrasting opinions on what they think is right or wrong and it depends on the individual who is making the decision. This causes
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have some key concepts which point to what the good ultimately is: egoism‚ utilitarianism‚ and deontology. Egoism values the desires of the individual the most‚ and this is most important to the individual. Utilitarianism‚ on the other hand‚ needs to be impartial in order to value each individual’s happiness equally. Deontology also conflicts with both of these other theories because it is not consequentialist like utilitarianism‚ and does not always benefit the individual or anyone else involved. The
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actions are considered in the rules of thumb. Utilitarianism is a species of consequentialism‚ which focuses on the greater good. Utilitarianism states that an act is right if and only if it produces more happiness and pleasure than unhappiness and pain. When we do utilitarianism‚ we aim to maximize overall happiness and minimize pain. In this essay‚ I will explain and defend the moral theory of utilitarianism. According to the theory of utilitarianism‚ an action is right if it brings the best possible
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Utilitarianism is a moral theory which centers on happiness and how we can promote it‚ and is measured by our actions. Utilitarianism explains how human’s ultimate goal is to achieve happiness. This is also called hedonism‚ limiting the amount of pain and equating happiness with pleasure. This theory explains how we aim for happiness through our actions. According to hedonism‚ when a person wishes to act ethically‚ they should strive to produce the greatest possible amount of happiness for the greatest
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Act utilitarianism is a utilitarian theory of ethics which states that a person’s act is morally right if and only if it produces the greatest overall utility. In assessing a moral theory there are four adequate criteria which are: completeness‚ explanatory‚ practicability and moral conformation. For completeness‚ an ethical theory should support all meaningful moral claims‚ neglecting none of the claims. Next‚ there is explanatory power. For this assessment a theory should provide insight into what
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Assess the merits of Utilitarianism (24 Marks) Utilitarianism is a theory aimed at defining one simple basis that can be applied when making any ethical decision. It is based on a human’s natural instinct to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Jeremy Bentham is widely regarded as the father of utilitarianism. He was born in 1748 into a family of lawyers and was himself‚ training to join the profession. During this process however‚ he became disillusioned by the state British law was in and set out
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Legal Theory Utilitarianism: Pros and Cons Random House Dictionary defines utilitarianism as “the ethical doctrine that virtue is based on utility‚ and that conduct should be directed toward promoting the greatest happiness of the greatest number of persons. The father of utilitarianism‚ Jeremy Bentham believed that all human beings are motivated by minimizing pain and maximizing pleasure; therefore morality and justice should be determined on those same grounds. Utilitarianism teaches that maximizing
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