Mill‚ John Stuart. Utilitarianism 2nd ed. Edited by George Sher. Indianapolis‚ IN: Hackett Publishing Company‚ Inc.‚ 2001. INTRODUCTION It can be argued that no other philosophical system has so permeated Western thought as utilitarianism. From the early Greek thinkers like Epicures to post-Enlightenment writers such as Jeremy Bentham‚ the expediency of utilitarianism has been defended and expounded. Perhaps the most famous proponent of utility for modern times is John Stuart Mill. Mill
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Heidegger‚ Kant‚ and the Ontological Argument In the introduction to The Basic Problems of Phenomenology‚ Martin Heidegger explains that throughout the history of philosophy‚ there has been many discoveries of the “domains of being” viz.‚ “nature‚ space‚ and soul”.1 Yet‚ none of these discoveries could be understood in a way that explains “their specific being.”2 As an example‚ Heidegger interprets this problem as the reason Plato understood why the soul‚ along with its logos‚ was a different
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Killing one to save five others is supported by act utilitarianism as it allows for more happiness. The happiness of five people outweighs‚ and creates more happiness‚ than the happiness of only one; as opposed to those same five dying‚ thus making them unable to promote/create happiness. If maximizing utility is the goal‚ there is no doubt that condemning one to save five is permissible under utilitarian principles. The loop variant of the case follows exactly as the original case of the trolley
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Immanuel Kant and Ethical Dilemma Immanuel Rant and Ethical Dilemmas Today Today there are many ethical dilemmas going on in the world‚ from companies’ misuse of funding or executives’ misuse of their title. Ethical behavior has to be an important part in having a company that will survive in society. There have been many philosophers that contributed to the ethical understanding we have today. On of the most influential philosophers in history of Western philosophy is Immanuel Kant. After his
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others rights are met. Furthermore‚ in historical context‚ the obligation to the state has been explained by many political philosophers such as‚ Jean Jacques Rousseau‚ Immanuel Kant‚ and David Hume. Rousseau believed in a social contract‚ while Hume had a more pragmatic approach focusing on the usefulness of the state‚ and Kant focused on an individuals moral obligation to the state. Rousseau‚ describes the relationship between the state and a person as contractual‚ thereby explaining the state as a
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in order to go to heaven. Through this belief‚ an individual may not be actually acting morally being that their desire to be good is motivated by the purpose of going to heaven. Without this motive‚ someone may not be inclined to act in such a way. Kant and Aristotle both cover this idea of purpose. Aristotle believes that people’s actions are governed through their desire to achieve happiness. According to Aristotle‚ the purpose of human life is by happiness through living your life entirely by
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On this topic of gay marriage I’ve chosen the two ethical theories of utilitarianism and the Kantian ethics theory. On the pro side the utilitarianism theory plays a huge role when referring to this topic. Some may argue that it is constitutional and some may say that it just isn’t the right thing to do in this country. With this theory the actions are said to be judged in terms of promotion of human happiness. If someone is happy why it should matter what the law or government thinks. It’s important
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Philosophy 1 Professor Section Kant believes that in order for a person to grasp the understanding of any given situation‚ they must free themselves from their own “self-imposed immaturity.” He thinks enlightenment is when a person blossoms into their own thinking instead of relying on the thinking or the decision making of others. It is the maturity in believing in one`s self‚ their thinking‚ and the empowerment to make decision based on one’s reasoning‚ not what was taught or is expected‚ that
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philosopher Immanuel Kant introduced the the categorical imperative inferring that moral correctness constitutes universal law. For example‚ reason has it that lying is morally wrong. To make an exception for lying to a Nazi to protect a Jew from harm is unethical. In the exception‚ a new opposing absolute allowing everyone to lye is created. It is not possible to universalize lying. All people must follow the same rule. Not following the universal rule makes the action wrong. Kant states “Act in such
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What is beauty? Hinduism and Immanuel Kant “Beauty is an integral quality of the soul and God. If God is beautiful‚ the entire universe has to be beautiful. There can be nothing ugly in the universe.” (Hindu Janajagruti Samiti)¬¬ Hinduism is the oldest of all living religions. It was not man-made and is based on a set of dogmas. Unlike Islam or Christianity‚ it was not started as a system. It was developed by the teachings of such teachers as Avataras‚ Rishis‚ Vedas‚ the Upanishads‚ the
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