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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Utilitarianism and Aristotelian Ethics John Stuart Mill and Aristotle are two of the most notable philosophers in history to date. Between Mill’s Utilitarianism and Aristotle’s virtue ethics you can see a large portion our cultures ethics today. Their philosophies are apparent in contemporary everyday life. Aristotle has written several pieces on virtue and friendship. The two most notable works being the Magna Moralia and the Eudemian Ethics. However‚ his Nicomachean Ethics were by far the
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Utilitarianism Utilitarianism examines overall happiness and can deduce whether it is ethical for Ming to tell customers about Condoitin. The happiness scale selected was -10 to 10‚ where -10 is unhappy‚ and 10 is happy. The stakeholders identified excluded those not relevant to Ming’s decision (like the air-conditioning company). There are approximately 100 elderly customers requesting advice per week‚ so Ming’s decision would impact 1200 over three months. Customer awareness of Condoitin’s lower
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Utilitarianism: Bentham – Hedonic Calculus Bentham was a hedonist – he believed that pleasure is good in itself‚ and other things are good in so far as they bring about pleasure and the absence of pain. “Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters‚ pain and pleasure.” You could work out which action to perform by calculating which option brought about the greatest amount of pleasure: Duration – how long does the pleasure last? Remoteness – how distant is the pleasure?
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In the framework of human politics utilitarianism loses its normative fundamentals. Yes‚ on an abstract level utilitarianism is objective‚ unbiased and neutral. But when humans apply it as a tool they corrupt it with their innate biases passed onto them by their environmental influences no matter how much they attempt to separate
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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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Act Utilitarianism vs Rule Utilitarianism Our world is governed by rules‚ either implied or implemented‚ and early on we are taught to live by these rules. Society expects us to act in such a way that will conform to these rules in order to live happy‚ harmonious lives. We do things‚ careful not to break any of the rules that might hurt or cause harm to others. Sometimes though‚ we do things not in accordance with the rules but based on what we feel is the right thing to do. Some people believe
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Outline the theory of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is the theory that an action is better if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number. The 18th and 19th century saw rise to the theory of Utilitarianism which can be traced back to Jeremy Bentham. Francis Hutcheson put forward the initial principle of Utilitarianism ’The greatest happiness of the greatest number’. Utilitarianism is a teleological theory where depending on the consequences of the action‚ that action will either be good
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Natural Rights and Utilitarianism 1) Locke’s concept of the social contract is to protect people’s rights. According to Locke the contract is between the people and these branches of government that they set up. The reason government arises the social contract between people‚ is because that people want to live longer and better. The legitimacy of the government comes from the fact we consent to set up that authority and protect our natural rights. For example‚ if we designate a group
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ecosystem would not be inherently wrong on the basis of utilitarianism if the usage benefits all citizens. The text explains utilitarianism as “everyone should perform that act or follow that moral rule that will bring about the great good (or happiness) for everyone concerned” (Thiroux & Krasemna‚ 2.3). All Utilitarians believe that every action shall be conducted with the highest consideration of all mankind. If each person used the nature for the benefit of all and the resources depleted‚ then it shall
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