Utilitarianism was founded by Jeremy Bentham and further defined by John Stuart Mill to fully be developed into an ethical philosophy by the nineteenth century. In Utilitarianism‚ consequences are the only thing that matters. Motives only matter if the result is happiness being maximized. Utilitarianism has a foundation based on giving the majority of people the greatest quality of happiness. In order to do so‚ actions are never dependent on self-interest or self-sacrifice‚ and impartiality
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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 there are no supererogatory acts; an act either produces the most pleasure and is therefore morally good‚ or it brings about pain and is morally bad. This claim
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Utilitarianism: Bentham – Hedonic Calculus Bentham was a hedonist – he believed that pleasure is good in itself‚ and other things are good in so far as they bring about pleasure and the absence of pain. “Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters‚ pain and pleasure.” You could work out which action to perform by calculating which option brought about the greatest amount of pleasure: Duration – how long does the pleasure last? Remoteness – how distant is the pleasure?
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Bentham‚ in his "Principle of Utility‚" Alongside John Stuart Mill‚ on "Utilitarianism‚" we will better understand what the foundations of morality are in accordance to their writings. Furthermore‚ through their standards of utility I will analyze the situation proposed as to whether cheating on your income taxes can be justified as morally right or wrong in the eyes of the utilitarian. In his Work‚ Jeremy Bentham states Utilitarianism as "that principle which approves or disproves of every action whatsoever
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“The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.” - Leon Trotsky. This quote closely relates to a philosophy that became popular in Russia in the 1860’s- utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is a philosophy defined as the idea of the moral worth of an action is determined only by the contribution to the overall utility‚ the contribution of happiness or pleasure among all people. Meaning‚ the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its outcome. Moral choices
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moral theory of utilitarianism consists of welfarism‚ a theory of the good‚ and consequentialism‚ a theory of the right. Utilitarianism dictates that a moral action is one whose results bring about the greatest amount of welfare for all relevant parties. Though‚ at first glance‚ utilitarianism may be appealing (Who can disagree with the claim that promoting the welfare of all members of society is the right thing to do?)‚ upon further reflection‚ it is clear that utilitarianism has a few shortcomings—namely
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Utilitarianism and Deontology support the legalization of marijuana‚ it produces a greater good for the economy‚ health‚ and positive effect on people’s happiness. The law of duty would be moral‚ and legalizing marijuana stimulates jobs‚ reduces crime rates‚ helps medically‚ and economically produces money. As a Utilitarian‚ they believe that the best action is the one the maximizes utility‚ and in this argument marijuana is a utility that could benefit for the greater good of human beings. In Deontology
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Act Utilitarianism vs Rule Utilitarianism Our world is governed by rules‚ either implied or implemented‚ and early on we are taught to live by these rules. Society expects us to act in such a way that will conform to these rules in order to live happy‚ harmonious lives. We do things‚ careful not to break any of the rules that might hurt or cause harm to others. Sometimes though‚ we do things not in accordance with the rules but based on what we feel is the right thing to do. Some people believe
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theory of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is the theory that an action is better if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number. The 18th and 19th century saw rise to the theory of Utilitarianism which can be traced back to Jeremy Bentham. Francis Hutcheson put forward the initial principle of Utilitarianism ’The greatest happiness of the greatest number’. Utilitarianism is a teleological theory where depending on the consequences of the action‚ that action will either be good or bad. Utilitarianism
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Utilitarianism is a moral theory that was originally created by Jeremy Bentham that he hoped would help people make difficult moral decisions. There are three main types of utilitarianism: Act‚ Rule and Preference. The different forms of utilitarianism all have different ways of helping people make decisions. Jeremy Bentham was the creator of Act utilitarianism and believes that people should aim to create the largest amount of pleasure possible for the greatest number of people through their moral
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