Utilitarianism was developed in the 18th century by Hutchenson‚ who used the phrase "the greatest good for the greatest number" to describe his theory. His idea of Utilitarianism‚ however‚ seeks to find a rational means of assessing how best to put this promotion of happiness into practice‚ and is split into two types; Act Utilitarianism is the earliest form‚ in which what is deemed right is based on the assessment of results of a particular action‚ and Rule Utilitarianism‚ which allows to be taken
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The thought in utilitarianism is that the ethical worth of an activity is resolved exclusively by its incentive in giving joy or joy as summed among every single cognizant being. It is a type of consequentialism‚ implying that the ethical worth of any activity is controlled by its result. In this manner the utilitarian saying: the best use for the best number. The biggest supporters of utilitarianism were Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. The complaint that I am will concentrate on in this paper
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John Stuart Mill’s account of Utilitarianism claims “that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Mill‚ 7). In addition‚ “the happiness which forms the utilitarian standard of what is right in conduct is not the agent’s own happiness but that of all concerned” (17). Individuals are often confronted with a choice which benefits others but fails to contribute something in return. Before deciding how to act‚ one evaluates
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The theory behind utilitarianism is that one’s actions are right if it promotes happiness or pleasure and wrong if it does not promote happiness or pleasure. The main point to this theory is the principle of utility that states “according to which actions should be chosen that bring about the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.” (Palmer) Jeremy Bentham gave essentially utilitarianism its name and brought more attention to it than those before him. Bentham came up with
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Among the most glaring problems that I see with Utilitarianism is its inclusion of animals under the umbrella that blankets this theory. It seems irrefutable that there exists an inordinate number of cases where the consequence that is against the best interest of an animal is favorable to humans‚ yet that dictating action is one that has been continually taken and condoned by the general public. This is a fundamental challenge‚ as the Utilitarian philosophy decrees that the pleasure and pain experienced
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performed on people facing serious illness and facing death. Euthanasia seems to understand the course of nature and its ways by letting the patient wish be fulfilled and let them die in peace instead of suffering in pain. Jeremy Bentham‚ founder of Utilitarianism. Actions are good/bad‚ right/wrong based on whether or not they will produce
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Utilitarianism‚ is the argument that a man should judge everything based on his ability to promote the greatest individual happiness. In other words‚ even if your actions are wrong‚ they are morally justified if it is for the greater good or‚ the greatest individual happiness. There are many different standpoints on what happiness really is‚ in John Stuart Mill’s essay on utilitarianism he argues that as long as your behavior creates bliss it is accounted for as happiness. Stuart supports his claims
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The Argument for Utilitarianism Among the ethical arguments that we have seen‚ it is clear that a form of utilitarianism is the best option‚ that is‚ we should always do what brings about the best outcome where the outcomes are rated by the amount of good they bring about. The utilitarian argument says that in any given decision‚ the option that brings about the most good is the right thing to do every time. That being said‚ the definition of good is extremely important to the soundness of the
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John Stuart Mills‚ in his paper Utilitarianism proposed the philosophy is "not something to be contradistinguished from pleasure‚ but pleasure itself‚ together with exemption from pain; and instead of opposing the useful to the agreeable or the ornamental..." However‚ Dickens did not find this harmony to be a possible outcome of the rigidity of logic‚ but found the imagination to be a more fertile ground for producing happiness. Dickens wrote of utilitarianism as it was applied during British industrialization
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The Philosophy of Utilitarianism may have a positive outcome‚ but it can be flawed at times as well. The Utilitarian theory states “ The greatest happiness for the greatest number of people”. Some say this approach is flawed due to it lacking reason and consequence‚ I believe this depends on specific circumstances. Abortion is a big issue now a days and I feel that the utilitarian theory would be a reasonable outlook on this particular situation. To apply the Utilitarian theory to abortion‚ first
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