the link below the excerpt. Ethics Theories- Utilitarianism Vs. Deontological Ethics There are two major ethics theories that attempt to specify and justify moral rules and principles: utilitarianism and deontological ethics. Utilitarianism (also called consequentialism) is a moral theory developed and refined in the modern world in the writings of Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). There are several varieties of utilitarianism. But basically‚ a utilitarian approach to morality
Premium Ethics Morality
Utilitarianism The concept of sustainable development is an attempt to balance two moral demands placed on the environment. The first demand is for development‚ including economic development or growth. It arises mainly from the interests of people who live in developing countries. Their present poverty gives them a low quality of life and calls urgently for steps to improve their quality of life. The second demand is for sustainability‚ for ensuring that we do not risk the future
Premium Environment Time Present
common criticism of utilitarianism can be reduced simply to: "I don’t like it" or "It doesn’t suit my way of thinking". For an example of this‚ here’s something from someone who might prefer to remain nameless. "Producing the greatest good for the greatest number is fine as long as you are not hurting someone you really love in the process. For instance‚ with the trolley situation‚ I would rather kill 5 people on the main track than m mother on the spur track. Utilitarianism runs into problems
Premium Utilitarianism Ethics John Stuart Mill
Utilitarianism states “that an action is morally right if and only if it produces at least as much good (utility) for all people affected by the action as any alternative action the person could do instead.” (Audi 942) One of the branches of utilitarianism is act-utilitarianism‚ and it is also considered by philosophers to be the “traditional utilitarianism.” (Schick 349) The purpose of act-utilitarianism is to follow the action that will maximize happiness for a given populace. Act-utilitarianism
Premium Utilitarianism Ethics Hedonism
PHIL103 A Rational Choice After reading John Rawl’s “A Theory of Justice” and applying its components to the ideal societies of Singer‚ Rand‚ and Arthur‚ I believe that from the unbiased and rational state of the original position I would choose to live in Arthur’s social order. I want to begin with my reasoning for rejecting the ethically egotistical society that Rand would support as well as a society under Singer’s utilitarian beliefs. From the original position‚ I would not choose a society
Premium Ethics Utilitarianism Ethical egoism
the positions based on John Stuart Mill ’s ’Utilitarianism ’ ethical theory‚ and Immanuel Kant ’s ’Categorical Imperative ’ ethical theory. According to Utilitarianism‚ euthanasia can be morally justified‚ whereas according to Kantianism‚ euthanasia is not morally justifiable; but I will argue that neither position provides an adequate resolution to the issue‚ due to the significant flaws that are
Premium Morality Immanuel Kant Ethics
Brink offers a reply in two parts to Williams’ claim that Utilitarianism fails to give the appropriate moral weight to an agent’s personal point of view. First‚ Brink (1986: 431) denies that Utilitarianism fails to account for the individual preferences of the agent. He asserts that the Utilitarian recognises autonomy as a valuable component to be considered in Utilitarian calculus. That being so‚ he acknowledges that the principle of impartiality requires that any value to be attributed to an agent’s
Premium Utilitarianism Ethics Morality
There are obvious problems with both Act and Rule Utilitarianism. Both theories share the common goal of achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest amount of people. However‚ it is impossible to measure or compare happiness‚ as one persons happiness may not necessarily be another’s. And how do we measure intangible gain‚ such as happiness against material gain‚ such as money? The root principle is a good concept‚ but it’s the means to which we arrive at the end that cause the problems. In
Premium Ethics
Utilitarianism and Social Corporate Responsibility The principal of Utilitarianism is often cited for grounds in business related decision making. Business ethics is often misunderstood - for if the main purpose of business is to maximize profits‚ then one could argue Westjet had done nothing wrong in trying to gain an advantage in thier industry. Thankfully‚ ethical decision making involves criteria beyond the ’greatest good for the greatest number of people’. Its criteria are as follows - utilitarianism
Premium Business ethics Ethics Corporate social responsibility
Examine the key ideas of utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a relativist‚ consequentialist and teleological system of ethics based on the idea of ‘utility’. This means usefulness and utilitarian suggest that everyone should be the most useful thing. The theory was devised by Jeremy Bentham who said “an action is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number”. He believed human beings are motivated by pleasure and pain. Bentham lived in an era of great social and scientific change
Premium Utilitarianism Ethics John Stuart Mill