the theory that all humans seek pleasure and avoid pain at all costs. Utilitarianism has been described as an act or a rule rather than a theory. We break this down into three parts: -Motivation: Bentham was a hedonists (‘Hedone’ is Greek for ‘pleasure’). Bentham suggests that humans are motivated by pleasure and seek to avoid pain in every circumstance. Bentham quoted ‘Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters‚ pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out
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Epicurus: Nature of Happiness and Pleasure Epicurus (c. 341-271 BCE) was born on the island of Samos where his parents were also born and this made him an Athenian citizen. At the age of fourteen‚ Epicurus studied philosophy‚ because he was inspired by the stories that his teacher told him. Epicurus started to his studies in Athens and then ended up in Colophone‚ where he started a school on the island of Lesbos‚ then to the Hellespont‚ and eventually returned to Athens in 207 BCE‚ where he established
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the best overall rule by determining the course of action which‚ when pursued by the whole community‚ leads to the best outcome. Rule utilitarianism argues that‚ in any situation‚ we must obey the given rule even if it does not lead to the greatest pleasure for us in that particular situation. Despite of this‚ Mill maintained that the well-being of the individual was of the greatest importance and that happiness is most effectively gained when individuals are free to pursue their own ends‚ subject to
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happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure‚ and the absence of pain; by unhappiness‚ pain‚ and the privation of pleasure.” From the utilitarian perspective pleasure and pain are absolutely essential in finding out one’s happiness. They way which Mill’s presents this highly simplistic definition of the complicated utilitarianism‚ brings up only a number of questions. There is something to this basic definition‚ but what? Do all pleasures lead to happiness? Are some pleasures better than others? Does
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with pleasures‚ for it is concerned less‚ and in a different way‚ with pains (Aristotle‚ Nicomachean Ethics III. 1117B25-30). He distinguish pleasures of the soul from those of the body. Pleasures of the soul would be love of honor and of learning. Those who are concerned with those pleasures are neither temperate nor intemperate. Non-bodily pleasures‚ lovers of tales and storytellers are called babblers‚ but not intemperate (Nicomachean Ethics III. 1117B). Temperance‚ is about bodily pleasures but
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Socratic school founded by Aristippus of Cyrene. At that school they believed that happiness is one of the end of moral action‚ while denying that virtue has any intrinsic value at all. Aristippus considered physical pleasure “more intense and preferable to mental or intellectual pleasures”‚ and especially immediate gratification‚ which he argued “should not be denied for the sake of long-term gain”. When the middle ages came around‚ the Christians found Hedonism very wrong and evil and banned it completely
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consequences of an action. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory. There are three types of utilitarianism: Act‚ Rule and Preference. Jeremy Bentham began the Utilitarianism theory. Utilitarianism is a hedonistic theory because it is based on pleasure and happiness. Each utilitarian has a different theory of Utilitarianism and this will be explained in my essay. First there was Jeremy Bentham the one to think of the Utilitarianism theory. Bentham was an act Utilitarian. Bentham was interested
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He describes how to differentiate between higher and lower-quality pleasures. A pleasure is consider higher quality if people would pick it over a different pleasure even if this pleasure is accompanied by discomfort. He argues that if given total access to all kinds of pleasure‚ people would still prefer those pleasures that appeal to their higher faculties. He also argues that people’s achievement of certain goals (like virtuous living) should
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He thought it was not possible to quantify pleasure and did not agree with the hedonic calculus‚ he believed in higher and lower pleasures. Higher quality pleasures were better than lower quality pleasures. He believed that higher pleasures of the mind were better than lower pleasures of the body. Once the minimum requirements of the body had been fulfilled‚ the real moral business involves pursuits of higher goods
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created by Jeremy Bentham‚ he believed that human beings were motivated by pleasure and pain so he can be called a hedonist. Bentham said that all human beings pursued pleasure and wanted to avoid pain. As a hedonist‚ he believed that pleasure was the sole good and pain was the sole evil. He said ‘an action is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number’ this is where the greatest good is the greatest pleasure or happiness and the least pain or sadness‚ and the greatest number are
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