John Stuart Mill suggests that a person’s ethical decision-making process should be based solely upon the amount of happiness that the person can receive. Although Mill fully justifies himself‚ his approach lacks certain criteria for which happiness can be considered. Happiness should be judged‚ not only by pleasure‚ but by pain as well. This paper will examine Mill’s position on happiness‚ and the reasoning behind it. Showing where there are agreements and where there are disagreements will critique
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S. Mill attempts to build on Jeremy Bentham’s original idea of Utilitarianism. His definition of the moral theory is one that is grounded in Bentham’s original work but also extends to include remarks to criticisms of Utilitarianism. Mill believes that‚ like Bentham‚ utility is what is valuable to society. Utility‚ according to Mill‚ is the promotion of pleasure or the absence of pain. He defines this as happiness‚ which is why he refers to utility as the Greatest Happiness Principle (Mill 55)
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means the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Basically what this means is‚ doing the right thing is based on how many people your action benefits rather than how much it benefits you. According to the Oxford American Dictionary utility means “the state of being useful‚ profitable‚ or beneficial”(oxford dictionary‚2013). The whole theory is all about how much it benefits and how useful or profitable an action or an idea is. For example: if killing one criminal brings forth happiness to a
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pressure we now put on ourselves to acquire the next big thing. Yes times have changed now‚ and so have we. We no longer cherish the simpler things in life and have instead replaced them with the finer things. To most people in our society today‚ happiness isn ’t defined by the people we love and the times we share with them‚ but rather the cars that we drive and the new iPod Touch that we bought. And as we ’ve changed over the years‚ so have our feelings about what makes us happy‚ and that ’s perfectly
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This theory advocates that the actions worth is determined by maximizing utility (pleasure or happiness).it looks at the consequence of an action as to whether the outcome is good to the majority of people affected by it. According to Bentham‚ utilitarianism is the greatest happiness or greatest felicity principle. There are many types of this theory which include act vs. rule‚ two level‚ motive‚ negative and average vs. total. (Clifford G.‚ John C. 2009) In act utilitarianism‚ when people have to
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John Stuart Mill’s account of Utilitarianism claims “that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Mill‚ 7). In addition‚ “the happiness which forms the utilitarian standard of what is right in conduct is not the agent’s own happiness but that of all concerned” (17). Individuals are often confronted with a choice which benefits others but fails to contribute something in return. Before deciding how to act‚ one evaluates
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Chapter 1 The Philosophy of Happiness Aristotle on Happiness Since the earliest days of Western thought philosophers have concerned themselves with the nature of happiness. One of the earliest to ask the question ‘what is happiness?’ was Aristotle‚ who‚ in a manner typical of philosophers‚ before providing an answer insisted on making a distinction between two different questions. His first question was what was meant by the word ‘happiness’—or rather‚ its ancient Greek equivalent eudaimonia. His
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emphasis is placed on the concept of happiness. Philosophers‚ counselors‚ and greeting card writers have addressed the topic at length. Once they determine what they believe happiness to be‚ they question how happiness can be achieved. In defining happiness‚ it is necessary to decide whether happiness is a subjective experience or an objective condition. These factors significantly impact the perception of happiness and its attainability. I believe happiness is a positive state of being which is
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Materialism‚ Religion and Happiness 1. Definition of Happiness A.Difficulties of pursuing happiness B. Different levels of happiness needed in different stages 2. Relationship between happiness and materialism A. Definition of materialism B. Materialism is negatively related to happiness 3. Relationship between happiness and religion A. Definition of religion B. Reasons why religious people are happier (Christian and Buddhist) C. Religion is positively related to happiness 4.Conclusion
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3/16/2013 Happiness Life is a sunrise‚ the meteor‚ the smoke and fire‚ lightning‚ and the rainbow. Although life is short‚ it is actually brilliant. Unfortunately‚ we can’t do anything to expand the length of our life but to try to broaden it by cherishing every moment we are happy. Although all of us are seeking happiness in order to live our unique life‚ not all of us is able to discover it. Actually‚ the true of happiness is to know you are responsible for your own happiness‚ cherish what
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