The core of utilitarianism is based around the idea that a person’s actions should be evaluated in terms of the pain and pleasure it causes. To balance these out it uses mathematics to make moral decisions that will have the happiest results. In human cloning‚ a utilitarian would argue it is essential to weigh up the pain and pleasure that the action would produce. Just because cloning may cause overall happiness it doesn’t mean it is ethically acceptable. Cloning has positive aspects it creates
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Assess the merits of Utilitarianism (24 Marks) Utilitarianism is a theory aimed at defining one simple basis that can be applied when making any ethical decision. It is based on a human’s natural instinct to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Jeremy Bentham is widely regarded as the father of utilitarianism. He was born in 1748 into a family of lawyers and was himself‚ training to join the profession. During this process however‚ he became disillusioned by the state British law was in and set out
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beggars and sickly people begging for food and some money. It critically examines these procedures in the moral dilemma with reference of applying the concepts: rule and act utilitarianism. Should we give these beggars money or not? In deciding whether we give or not‚ the answer for that is we should give. Why? Act utilitarianism basically states that an action is moral if it produces the greatest happiness for the most people. This reason alone the act of giving them would be a good idea‚ because it
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classification of one’s actions. In Mill’s Utilitarianism‚ he examines what determines an action to be considered right or wrong‚ his own version of the hedonistic utilitarianism argument. He claims that these qualities‚ including the quantity‚ are an important factor in determining‚ when included in the consequences‚ the criteria of an action. The consequences are significant in determining the results of one’s actions. In the argument of utilitarianism‚ if the consequences of an action are good
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Utilitarianism and Genetic Engineering In the past thirty years‚ humans are witnessing a huge revolution in the genetic engineering industry. Having identified most of the Human Genome‚ gene sequencing has become programmed and extremely fast‚ and laboratory techniques in molecular biology allow for in-vitro fertilization and transfer of genetic material. Gene therapy and repair based on stem cells research allows for replacement of a defected allele in the DNA‚ and even a whole damaged tissue in
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The Hedonistic utilitarianism’s view is that happiness is the ultimate good. According to two hedonistic utilitarian philosophers‚ Bentham and Mill‚ happiness is the surplus over pain and everything we do is motivated by a desire to maximise pleasure and minimise pain. Preference utilitarianism‚ on the other hand‚ is the view that what is good for a person and what is good overall is determined entirely by people’s preferences. In what follows‚ I will argue that Preference utilitarianism is not more
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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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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
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Utilitarianism vs. Individualism Arguments for utilitarianism and individualism will never end. The essence of utilitarianism‚ pleasure is the chief end of life and the greatest happiness for the greatest number should be the ultimate goal of human beings‚ has always been a crucial matter of concern and controversy. It is regarded as an exploit of people’s freedom and individualism. However‚ individualism is deemed as an ignorance of teamwork. We cannot simply tell which one is superior to the
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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
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