Title: ‘The champions of consequentialism argue that we should obey the law since widespread disobedience would have the consequence of making social relations of any sort impossible. Hence‚ in the absence of the obligation to obey the law no society would be possible. Do you agree with this argument?’ INTRODUCTION Consequentialism is usually defined with the formula "one should always do that to bring best consequence: the value of an action derives solely from the value of its consequences"
Premium Ethics Morality Utilitarianism
Could you be justified in taking one innocent life in order to save the lives of many? “There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong‚ but the middle is always evil.” Ayn Rand‚ Atlas Shrugged The justification in taking the life of one to save the life of many - This is a philosophical dilemma that has been discussed and debated over countless decades by various philosophers and ethicists. It is a question of human morality and ethical decisions. Varied cases
Premium Ethics Morality
Our liberty‚ or freedom‚ to act or speak or be as we would like to be‚ although ours‚ must also fall within the confounds of the society we live in. Before much of the world was fortunate enough to be born into some sort of social system‚ life was spent much more separate from others. Your natural rights to the most basic aspects of life such as food‚ water‚ shelter‚ and the ability to live itself were much less assured. As Hobbes believed‚ all men lived in a natural state of war where “every man
Premium Political philosophy Thomas Hobbes State of nature
Andrea Vesalius and William Harvey continued to employ animal vivisection in their investigations of the functioning of various anatomical structures‚ particularly the heart and lungs. Throughout this historical period‚ few philosophical or moral objections were voiced regarding the use of animals in biomedical studies. This is perhaps surprising for two reasons. First‚
Premium Animal testing Animal rights
The utilitarian theory of consequentialism defines morality in terms of the maximization of net expectable utility for all parties affected by a decision or action. It looks as the group as a whole and states that an action is morally right if the action is more favorable than unfavorable to everyone. Although forms of utilitarianism have been put forward and debated since ancient times‚ the most modern theory is associated with the British philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806- 1873) and his mentor
Premium Utilitarianism Morality John Stuart Mill
TIPS ON WRITING A PHILOSOPHY PAPER 1. Constructing a Thesis Statement A thesis statement is that sentence or two that asserts your position on a given issue‚ specifically‚ the position that you will be arguing for in your paper. This thesis statement should appear somewhere in the introduction to your paper. It can be the first sentence‚ although that’s often a rather simplistic and unexciting way to begin your paper. More often‚ then‚ a thesis statement should appear at or near the end of the
Premium Argument Ethics Logic
ethical concerns are not priority because organ transplant can save patient’s life. The director general of Medikt‚ Israeli Co. that help patient to navigate foreign transplant hospitals said “In life‚ you don’t get a second chance”. He is following utilitarian approaches to ethics‚ that an action is judged to be desirable if it leads to favorable consequences. But he does not consider justice‚ so the minority will always be at a disadvantage. 2- Corruption: In some cases‚ hospitals give the priority
Premium Organ transplant
co-workers see this and they approach you at lunch time. They all feel your pain because they too have been told that due to company policy they also could not practice their religion at work. This is a problem. You realize that growing up in a Utilitarian environment urges you to fix this problem for the greater good of all the people working in this office. Religion should be allowed in the workplace to ensure that all people are afforded the opportunity to worship as they choose‚ within guidelines
Premium Religion Faith
Immanuel Kant‚ disagreed with the Utilitarian principle that maximized happiness for the greatest number of people. In chapter 2 of his book‚ Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals‚ Kant theorizes an external critique that we don’t always act for desires but duty instead. Kant really has this worry and he wants to find a firm foundation for our moral laws. According to Kant‚ Act only on that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. Universal moral law
Premium Immanuel Kant Morality Ethics
begins by discussing the leading consequentialist theory. A. Uutilitarianism‚ which holds that the production of “the greatest happiness for the greatest number” is the supreme moral principle. B. However‚ Barbour notes several important objections to this theory that undermine its plausibility as a sufficient principle for ethical evaluation and decision making. C. He goes on to contrast it with the deontological approach that emphasizes rights and obligations‚ noting that many moral
Premium John Rawls Justice Political philosophy