-The greatest good for the greatest number (The most useful course of action if trying to maximise pleasure and minimize pain and in a given situation‚ one must examine the consequential pain/pleasure resultant for all concerned.) ; and lastly‚ his Hedonic
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Bentham invented something called the ‘hedonic calculus’ this was his way of measuring the good and bad of an action. Bentham said: ‘the principle of utility aims to promote happiness‚ which is the supreme ethical value… An act is right if it delivers more pleasure than pain and wrong if it brings about more pain than pleasure.’ To help people choose what would have the best possible consequence‚ Bentham provided a way of measuring it. This is the ‘hedonic calculus’. There are seven elements: the intensity
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Utilitarianism‚ one of which is Jeremy Bentham and who is regarded as the founder of utilitarianism by most people. Bentham put great emphasis on the fact that quantity of pleasure is what mattered; additionally Bentham’s most prominent work included the hedonic calculus which was created to evaluate and weigh up the overall pain and
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Summarise arguments against abortion with reference to both ethical and religious teachings. 30 marks Abortion is the deliberate ending of a life after fertilisation. For many years the morality of abortion has been disputed with many religions condemning women from having an abortion. Abortion also goes against many ethical theories‚ such as Rule utilitarianism and Bentham’s Utilitarianism. A religion that is strongly against abortion is Christianity. In Christianity it is believed that life
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was the principle of utility which is the idea that an act is right or wrong based on its usefulness. Bentham said “an act is right if it causes the greatest good for the greatest number”. This is a teleological theory. Finally there is the hedonic calculus. This is the method Bentham used to measure the amount of pleasure or pain an action caused. It considers seven factors which are intensity‚ duration‚ certainty or uncertainty‚ propinquity or remoteness‚ fecundity‚ purity and extent. Bentham’s
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or bad. Therefore‚ in this respect‚ Bentham would argue that the happiness of the majority is the only goal in life worth working for. Additionally‚ further evidence that supports this view is found in the Hedonic Calculus. This strongly supports the proposed statement as the hedonic calculus has a purpose for weighing up the pain and pleasure (happiness) in each moral decision in life and consequently finding the best option according to which decision produces the most happiness (pleasure) and
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A) Explain the main strengths of Mills Utilitarianism? With rule utilitarianism you first have to agree to the general rule then after you apply it to specific cases. Some people see Mill as a rule utilitarian‚ which means that you act in accordance with those rules which‚ if generally followed‚ would provide the greatest general balance of pleasure over pain. This rule is also in line with how society works in the way that most people would prefer to cause pleasure rather than pain. Mill separates
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any possible outcomes or consequences of an action before we decide on the choice we will make. His adaptation of the theory also changed many laws because it was thought to be to correct to consider the consequences. Bentham also created the Hedonic calculus which was helpful in determining measurements of pleasure‚ which can be used with the utiltitarian theory. There are 2 main types of utilitarianism‚ the first I will talk about is Rule. Rule utilitarianism has certain principles involved with
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bringing about the greatest happiness principle which is choosing the path that gives the greatest amount of people the greatest amount of happiness and the least amount of pain. This makes the theory eudaimonic. This is measured using the hedonic calculus that takes into account 7 things; Intensity of happiness‚ Duration of the happiness (how long it lasts)‚ Remoteness of the happiness (how immediate the gratification is)‚ Certainty of the happiness happening‚ Purity of the happiness (how free
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Outline the important concept of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism was a theory developed by Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century. Bentham’s theory was motivated by his desire to find universal theory that could be applies to every ethical situation. Due to industrial revolution people fled to the city where they endured urban oppression. Bentham’s theory helped improve social situations. This theory is also a teleological theory; telos meaning end or purpose. This means that the theory bases the decisions
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