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 failed moral theory. As stated in James Rachels‚ The Elements
Premium Utilitarianism
The moral theory of utilitarianism consists of welfarism‚ a theory of the good‚ and consequentialism‚ a theory of the right. Utilitarianism dictates that a moral action is one whose results bring about the greatest amount of welfare for all relevant parties. Though‚ at first glance‚ utilitarianism may be appealing (Who can disagree with the claim that promoting the welfare of all members of society is the right thing to do?)‚ upon further reflection‚ it is clear that utilitarianism has a few shortcomings—namely
Premium Morality Organ Organ transplant
One of the core assertions of John Stuart Mill’s book‚ Utilitarianism‚ is that Utilitarianism can and should provide the basic moral framework for an individual’s decisions. He argues‚ often convincingly‚ that if all of society followed a system of morals dedicated to the maximizing public well-being‚ or utility‚ everyone would benefit. This perspective places the burden of decision making overwhelmingly on the individual who is not necessarily capable or properly equipped to make decisions which
Premium Utilitarianism Ethics John Stuart Mill
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
Premium Nicomachean Ethics Virtue Ethics
Assess the view that a religious concept of love is the most difficult to put into practice. (20 Marks) It can be considered that loving an individual in all circumstances can be a difficult thing to do. Most religions would say that love should be the central theme behind all of our actions. This may be an ideal standard for the world to have. However‚ would this be applicable in the world of politics‚ business and jury systems? For example‚ if love was to be the ruling norm of a jury system‚ would
Premium Love Marriage Jury
the human‚ because it would produce less pain. The chimpanzee is completely healthy and has his whole life to live‚ with no reason for any significant pain or an early death other than by natural causes. The human on the other side‚ since being brain-dead‚ will be in a vegetative state forever until his death‚ and can’t experience any pain‚ because he is completely unconscious. For the human‚ nothing would change‚ he wouldn’t know what would happen to him and he would miss out on nothing. We can therefore
Premium Science Human Mammal
Pros and Cons of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a philosophy in which the ends justify the means‚ or in which the morality of an action is determined by the function that follows the action. Although Utilitarianism has many good principals that are both logical and appealing‚ the contradictions of the philosophy make it incompatible with Christian ethics. The moral standards that utilitarianism is supposedly based on only work when a person doesn’t consider the personal emotions that might
Premium Ethics Morality Philosophy
Examine the key features of utilitarianism (21) The theory of Utilitarianism is based on the concept of utility‚ a theory of usefulness. Utilitarianism is a system of morality that generates us with what the most useful thing to do in different situations and outcomes. Different Utilitarian approaches to morality have emerged each with their own theory of good and community of concerning individuals. Featuring the main influential contributors to this theory are Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill
Premium Utilitarianism
Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. It all depends upon the consequences of that particular act of cheating. One of them is “Rule Utilitarianism”‚ an action is right if it confirms to a rule when adopted‚ and then produces more overall happiness. The other kind of utilitarianism is called “Act Utilitarianism‚” an action is right if it produces overall happiness in a given situation. To an extent it’s a pretty simple ethical theory‚ it can be very complex because it needs
Premium Utilitarianism Ethics Hedonism
attempt to find this by applying a rule or several rules that seem to fit with outcomes that we most commonly find are “good”. An ethical based individual moral objective would be to seek the action that has the most affectionate consequence‚ a utilitarianism person would argue for the greatest amount of happiness‚ a Kantianism’s rule would be to follow the categorical imperative‚ and maybe Natural law‚ we do what is in accordance with the purpose of what is believed to be morally correct. There are
Premium Morality Ethics Philosophy