of recreational drug use. And by turning to one of the most influential moral theories‚ utilitarianism‚ I arrive at supporting ethical means founded simply on happiness. Maintaining the intrinsic value of human happiness is one of the most important aspects of universal utilitarianism. Self-determination‚ or the process of self-regulating decisions and actions‚ is another important aspect that utilitarianism concerns itself with. Therefore‚ as human beings‚ we should permit ourselves to the utmost
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Brink offers a reply in two parts to Williams’ claim that Utilitarianism fails to give the appropriate moral weight to an agent’s personal point of view. First‚ Brink (1986: 431) denies that Utilitarianism fails to account for the individual preferences of the agent. He asserts that the Utilitarian recognises autonomy as a valuable component to be considered in Utilitarian calculus. That being so‚ he acknowledges that the principle of impartiality requires that any value to be attributed to an agent’s
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common criticism of utilitarianism can be reduced simply to: "I don’t like it" or "It doesn’t suit my way of thinking". For an example of this‚ here’s something from someone who might prefer to remain nameless. "Producing the greatest good for the greatest number is fine as long as you are not hurting someone you really love in the process. For instance‚ with the trolley situation‚ I would rather kill 5 people on the main track than m mother on the spur track. Utilitarianism runs into problems
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Utilitarianism in the Theory of Punishment – Utilitarian ideology states that it is our duty to whatever will increase the amount of happiness in the world. Applying this ideology to the Theory of Punishment may seem counterintuitive. Taken at face value‚ Utilitarianism is incompatible with punishment‚ because by definition punishment makes people unhappy‚ therefore‚ is immoral under the strict tenants of Utilitarianism. However‚ Utilitarians‚ do see the need for punishment. Punishment restores a
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Confucianism and Utilitarianism Comparing and contrasting these two ethical theories was quite difficult at times‚ mainly because they tend to be so contrasting that the two seem completely unalike. Especially when the two share a time difference of a couple millenniums from when they were created. This makes it quite easy to locate differences between the two‚ but for a quality paper that accounts for about only half of what to write. It took some time and extensive research to find what these two
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Utilitarianism Theory Ethics involve defending‚ systematizing and recommending concepts of wrong and right practice or behavior. Ethical theories are categorized into different aspects as per the roles they assume. Using ethical theories‚ we can assess and question universal truths and function of reason in ethical judgments and moral standards that control evil and right conducts. Utilitarianism theory falls under normative ethics which judges the correct behavior we ought to adopt and the repercussions
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The classical theories of morality are Aristotle’s perspective called Nicomachean Ethics‚ the Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant‚ and the Theory of Utilitarianism morality by John Stuart Mill. These classical theories create the basis of morality and moral argument. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory regarding the greater good. It rationalizes; the actions a person makes in their life and says they should be directed towards achieving the greatest happiness for
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the key features of utilitarianism The theory of utilitarianism was developed by and associated by Jeremy Bentham and utilitarianism is a teleological ethical theory where the moral value of an action can be judged by its consequences. Three main philosophers have come up with different types of utilitarianism. Jeremy Bentham introducing Act Utilitarianism and John Stuart Mill trying to improve the flaws that he encountered with Bentham’s theory with his Rule Utilitarianism and lastly‚ Peter Singer
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Utilitarianism is an ethical theory coined by an English philosopher who lived during the late 1700’s name Jeremy Bentham. Bentham believed in the principle that human beings should be motivated by pain and pleasure; he said “Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters‚ pain and pleasure” this meant that every human being’s goal in life should be to pursue pleasure and avoid pain and that these should be defining factors of what is moral. Utilitarianism is strongly based
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There are obvious problems with both Act and Rule Utilitarianism. Both theories share the common goal of achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest amount of people. However‚ it is impossible to measure or compare happiness‚ as one persons happiness may not necessarily be another’s. And how do we measure intangible gain‚ such as happiness against material gain‚ such as money? The root principle is a good concept‚ but it’s the means to which we arrive at the end that cause the problems. In
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