5. Relativism Many different ideas have been given the name ‘relativism’‚ and the term has been used to pillory all sorts of views (sometimes for good reasons‚ sometimes for bad ones). It is mere posturing to say that you are for or against “relativism” unless you say what you mean by the term. Here I want mainly to discuss (and to criticize) a view I have encountered among students in philosophy courses‚ who say things like this: "What anyone believes is true for that person. What you believe
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UTILITARIANISM Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that holds that an action is right if it produces‚ or if it tends to produce‚ the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people affected by the action. Otherwise the action is wrong. This cost-benefit analysis is a form of utility calculation. People in business theory use utility curves to plot the results of various actions‚ choosing those that maximize whatever it is that they wish to achieve. This utility approach is not foreign
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Prompt: Should animal experimentation be allowed to test drugs? Animal testing is the use of animals for scientific and medical research purposes. Animal experimentation is very prevalent nowadays and it became a common and an accepted means of testing by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Animal testing‚ however‚ dates back to many centuries even before Christ. It had started in Greece as indicated by the writings and the records of Greek physicians of the third and fourth centuries BC .Aristotle
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#1 Morality and Utilitarianism in Tennyson’s Godiva Tennyson’s poem “Godiva” follows its narrator’s recreation of the tale. Through this retelling‚ readers can see how Victorian ideas influenced Tennyson’s work. The piece is marked by a tension between utilitarianism‚ exemplified by Lady Godiva’s husband‚ and humanist ethics‚ demonstrated by Lady Godiva’s actions. Through this historical struggle‚ the narrator’s comments on modern society can be seen. He finds the utilitarianism useless; instead
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Lesson 2.1 – Issues at the Beginning of Life In vitro fertilization has become very popular for those who are not able to conceive naturally. There are many factors to consider when deciding to have any reproductive procedure done. The parents-to-be need to be well educated with the procedure that will going to be performed. Research is very important. Having a clear understanding on what will be happening before‚ during‚ and after having this procedure. Becoming pregnant is similar to winning the
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The philosophical theory that I choose to do is called “utilitarianism”. In a brief sentence‚ utilitarianism means the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Basically what this means is‚ doing the right thing is based on how many people your action benefits rather than how much it benefits you. According to the Oxford American Dictionary utility means “the state of being useful‚ profitable‚ or beneficial”(oxford dictionary‚2013). The whole theory is all about how much it benefits and
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Utilitarianism Key Features • • • Relativist Theory – – – – – – – No Absolutes Morality Depends on individual circumstances Happiness is the most important thing Quality and Quantity of Happiness need to be taken into account The Measure of Usefulness or Fittingness for purpose an action may have Teleological Ethical theories such as Utilitarianism tend to rely on the principle of utility It is the way of measuring how useful an action is in bringing about the consequences that we desire Equality
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The Utilitarianism approach is that of a moral one. It is defined by the right action that maximizes the greatest amount of happiness or well-being and is the wrong action when it promotes the reverse of happiness. Not just the happiness of the person performing an action‚ but for everyone who will inevitably be affected by that action while it is taking place as well as afterwards in the future. Again‚ what matters most is the elevation of happiness and well-being. Utilitarianism relies on intrinsic
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Utilitarianism In his book‚ J.S. Mill attempts to build on Jeremy Bentham’s original idea of Utilitarianism. His definition of the moral theory is one that is grounded in Bentham’s original work but also extends to include remarks to criticisms of Utilitarianism. Mill believes that‚ like Bentham‚ utility is what is valuable to society. Utility‚ according to Mill‚ is the promotion of pleasure or the absence of pain. He defines this as happiness‚ which is why he refers to utility as the Greatest
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of people affected by it. According to Bentham‚ utilitarianism is the greatest happiness or greatest felicity principle. There are many types of this theory which include act vs. rule‚ two level‚ motive‚ negative and average vs. total. (Clifford G.‚ John C. 2009) In act utilitarianism‚ when people have to make choices‚ they should consider the consequences of each choice and then choose that which will generate much pleasure. The rule utilitarianism looks at the rules of actions which are potential
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