Explain Benthams Utiliarianism (30 marks) The theory of utilitarianism was put forward entierly by Jeremy Bentham‚ who wrote about Ethics and Politics. He was a social reformer keen to improve the lives of the working class. Many of the improvements made in the treatments of criminals in the 18th and 19th centuries were the results of Benthems ethics. Bentham believed that which is good is that which equals the greatest sum of pleasure and the least sum of pain. (Hedonism)
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Act and Rule Utilitarianism There are a lot of differences and similarities between act and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarian supports the principle of utility must be applied to each individual situation. The rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by its usefulness. This was Bentham’s idea when he established that pleasure and pain was important qualities for determining what was morally right or wrong. With Act Utilitarianism‚ you must decide what action will bring the greatest
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As stated in the PowerPoint this week‚ “Utilitarianism says that the result or the consequence of an act is the real measure of whether it is good or bad. The great good that we should seek is happiness.” Given this‚ what the anthropologist should do depends on if what will cause the most happiness not for herself‚ but for everyone involved? As an egoist‚ you would want to look out for yourself only. In this case‚ the anthropologist would want to tell the appropriate state agency so she doesn’t get
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John Rawls and Utilitarianism Heath C. Hoculock The social contract theory of John Rawls challenges utilitarianism by pointing out the impracticality of the theory. Mainly‚ in a society of utilitarians‚ a citizens rights could be completely ignored if injustice to this one citizen would benefit the rest of society. Rawls believes that a social contract theory‚ similar those proposed by Hobbes‚ Locke‚ and Rousseau‚ would be a more logical solution to the question of fairness in any government
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Machiavelli’s The Prince is a comprehensive guide on how a prince should govern. Written in 1513‚ it addresses a multitude of topics‚ including whether one should be feared or loved‚ how to avoid hatred‚ and how a prince should spend his money. While the advice was more applicable in the Renaissance‚ when most rulers governed with absolute power‚ either in their city state or their country‚ it does not apply well to today‚ when institutions such as parliaments and congresses exist to check the power
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that there are two types of utilitarianism in instances concerning overall justice. Julia Driver mentions this in her book Ethics: The Fundamentals. Driver posits that there is a difference between act-utilitarianism and rule-utilitarianism (Driver 64). Act-utilitarianism deals more with what classical utilitarianism believes. It follows the belief that one should choose the action that has the best outcome for the most amount of people‚ even if it means
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The Lifeboat Case and Utilitarianism Imagine that four men are placed in a life or death situation. They are stranded in a boat in the middle of the ocean with nothing to eat for nourishment. In a severely weakened state‚ the men decide that for the benefit of the majority they will draw lots and eat whoever draws the shortest; one of the men refuses to draw. The next day‚ in spite of the lottery‚ the youngest boy is killed and fed on by the other men. The argument proposed to justify their actions
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actions are considered in the rules of thumb. Utilitarianism is a species of consequentialism‚ which focuses on the greater good. Utilitarianism states that an act is right if and only if it produces more happiness and pleasure than unhappiness and pain. When we do utilitarianism‚ we aim to maximize overall happiness and minimize pain. In this essay‚ I will explain and defend the moral theory of utilitarianism. According to the theory of utilitarianism‚ an action is right if it brings the best possible
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Simply put‚ Utilitarianism states that one should act on what would bring the greatest happiness or benefit to the greatest amount of people. Therefore‚ a utilitarian would agree to push two heaviest passengers overboard to save the six. While it violates our morals to kill two people‚ a utilitarian would explain their choice with the integrity objection. In the situation of the lifeboat‚ one is faced with a situation that does not present a perfect outcome. However‚ a utilitarian would say that
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According to Immanuel Kant’s ethical theory‚ an act is only morally right if we can will it to be a universal law of conduct. This ideal is what Kant called the "categorical imperative." The categorical imperative has been successfully achieved when all of the following conditions have been met: the act in question is possible for everyone to follow; all rational people must be able to accept the act as if they were receiving the treatment themselves‚ and last‚ the act can never treat people as means
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