chosen Act-Utilitarianism to analyze in this paper. My assertion is that Act-Utilitarianism is not a viable solution to the problem of punishment. I believe this because Act-Utilitarianism‚ while attempting to maximize overall utility‚ often leads to situations where the wrong answers are given to moral questions. This results in Act-Utilitarianism finding justification for punishment in bad moral theories‚ thus invalidating any justification given. While I do not believe that Act-Utilitarianism is an
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Consequentialists are a group of philosophers who asses whether an act is right or wrong based on the consequences of the action. There are different types of consequentialism including: ethical egoism‚ act-utilitarianism and rule-utilitarianism. These three branches of consequentialism will be discussed later in this paper. A supererogatory act is something that is good but is not obligatory; these acts involve rendering aid to others that go above moral requirement. Consequentialists claim that
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The prominant criticism of Utilitarianism is that it is extremely hard to predict the results of an action. The outcomes of all situations are hard to predict‚ so how can we possibly apply the rule of the greatest happiness for the greatest number if we do not know who will benefit most? It is also difficult to decide whether an outcome is morally good or bad. People have contrasting opinions on what they think is right or wrong and it depends on the individual who is making the decision. This causes
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have some key concepts which point to what the good ultimately is: egoism‚ utilitarianism‚ and deontology. Egoism values the desires of the individual the most‚ and this is most important to the individual. Utilitarianism‚ on the other hand‚ needs to be impartial in order to value each individual’s happiness equally. Deontology also conflicts with both of these other theories because it is not consequentialist like utilitarianism‚ and does not always benefit the individual or anyone else involved. The
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Utilitarianism says that the moral and ethical thing to do is that which provides the most happiness or the least unhappiness to society. Sitting in class listening to the lecture on the moral theory of Utilitarianism it first sounded like the best moral theory ever. However as the classes continued and we learned more and more about this theory my opinion quickly changed. In this paper I will defend the idea that Utilitarianism is a failed moral theory. As stated in James Rachels‚ The Elements
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Morality is a set of individual beliefs of what is reflected as correct. Kantianism and Utilitarianism seek to provide answers on how to approach a moral problem which would affect the morality of a person. This paper will attempt to clarify how Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism differ‚ as well as discuss why I believe Utilitarianism is the most plausible when it comes to deliberating abortion. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that states that the best action is one that maximizes utility.
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job to be able to financially support your family. Most people would agree that lying or torturing someone is wrong. However‚ some may argue that if you are helping more people than you are hurting‚ then it is okay to lie to or torture someone. Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that the action you choose to perform should result in “the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people” (MacKinnon and Fiala). It is a form of consequentialism that focuses on the consequences of actions
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Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism In the article‚ “Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism”‚ Louis P. Pojman explained the grounds on which utilitarianism has been attacked and showed some possible response to its defenders which imply his positive attitude towards utilitarianism [1] . In order to argue that thesis‚ Pojman’s one important premise is the response to the no-rest objection. He believed that the agent should aim at maximizing his or her own happiness as well as other people’s
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That is the view of philosophers when it comes to thinking about moral theory. Singer a philosopher suggest that people should abandon utilitarianism without even giving them a convincing point about why‚ except that utilitarianism does not support vegetarianism in fact Singer says that utilitarianism have a great relationship with vegetarianism. Utilitarianism is considered to be a moral philosophy that bases it argument that we have moral obligation to utilize and maximize the available utility
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systems debated today are utilitarianism and deontology. These two traditions parallel the sayings “the ends justify the means” or “the means justify the ends”. Inspired by Jeremy Bentham’s philosophies‚ John Stuart Mill applied his ideas to his many pamphlets and short works regarding Utilitarianism. This philosophy considers that the best thing to do ethically for a society is to maximize its happiness‚ interests‚ preference‚ or well-being. In effect‚ utilitarianism focuses on outcomes‚ or the
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