Utilitarianism Essays and Term Papers
Last update: August 23, 2014-
Utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics
Utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics Ethics is one part of philosophy that will always be studied, and like most subjects in philosophy, will never be viewed the same by everyone. There are so many cultures that have so many different beliefs about the way a person's life should be lived out. Things like religion, poverty, and mental health all contribute to our beliefs in ethics. Some people believe that the mental state of a person or
Rating:Essay Length: 1,240 Words / 5 PagesSubmitted: March 11, 2009 -
Mill's Utilitarianism
Mill's Utilitarianism When faced with a moral dilemma, utilitarianism identifies the appropriate considerations, but offers no realistic way to gather the necessary information to make the required calculations. This lack of information is a problem both in evaluating the welfare issues and in evaluating the consequentialist issues which utilitarianism requires be weighed when making moral decisions. Utilitarianism attempts to solve both of these difficulties by appealing to experience; however, no method of reconciling an individual
Rating:Essay Length: 1,331 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: November 9, 2009 -
Utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics
Utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics Ethics is one part of philosophy that will always be studied, and like most subjects in philosophy, will never be viewed the same by everyone. There are so many cultures that have so many different beliefs about the way a person's life should be lived out. Things like religion, poverty, and mental health all contribute to our beliefs in ethics. Some people believe that the mental state of a person or
Rating:Essay Length: 1,240 Words / 5 PagesSubmitted: November 12, 2009 -
Utilitarian Vs. Kantian
This paper was written during the final exam for an ethics class, from memory. As such, there are no referances, but it still makes for a pretty good outline for a paper on utilitarian and Kantian ethical theories. With so many varying views on morals and ethics, trying to use reason in ethics without resorting to emotional judgments is difficult. The first stop to overcoming this obstacle is to begin by studying ethical theories. Once
Rating:Essay Length: 1,231 Words / 5 PagesSubmitted: November 14, 2009 -
Utilitarianism in “the Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka
What if, one day, this person is crossing the street on his way to work and a speeding car hit him. Due to the impact, he loses consciousness. The next day he wakes up in the hospital and is paralyzed. What would this man’s first thought be? Of course, he would question why that he is paralyzed and if this illness is curable. Unlike the character in my parable, the main character in Franz Kafka’s
Rating:Essay Length: 258 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: November 16, 2009 -
Utilitarian - Are Consequences the only Thing to Consider?
Are Consequences the Only Thing to Consider? Theories of ethical and moral development are based upon the society and time in which the philosophers believe that they are able to change the world and make their mark on people’s lives through their values and ideas. Not always will a philosopher’s ideas meet the standards to withhold the challenges that people or society as a whole will challenge them with. The Utilitarian theory looks at the
Rating:Essay Length: 2,386 Words / 10 PagesSubmitted: November 19, 2009 -
Normative Ethics: Utilitarianism and Deontology
Running head: Normative Ethics: Utilitarianism and Deontology Normative Ethics: Utilitarianism Deontology Ethics are a personal set of values used by an individual to guide their actions, and to recognize any obligation. They are a continuously evolving code of conduct dependent upon circumstances and the life experiences of the individual. With actions that can be measured by “right” and “wrong”. Ethics are not primarily concerned with the description of moral systems in societies but are more
Rating:Essay Length: 1,353 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: November 20, 2009 -
Utilitarianism and the Lonesome Stranger
Utilitarianism and the Lonesome Stranger Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that believes one should do what will promote the greatest utility for as many people as possible, that utility is often considered to be happiness or pleasure. There are different kinds of utilitarian views; hedonistic, preference, rule, and act to name a few, but they all have the same main objective. This theory does indeed seem good at first, but it is flawed. The case
Rating:Essay Length: 962 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: November 23, 2009 -
Critical Evaluation Singer’s Utilitarian Defence of Humane Treatment of Animals.
I find that Singer's views to justify the obligation to be a vegetarian and to treat animals in a more humane manner a convincing argument; however, his views do not advocate animal rights in particular. This essay will discuss his Utilitarian approach to the treatment of animals, take a look at its objections and will ultimately prove Regan correct in his dismissal of Singer's views. Firstly I will give a brief definition of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism
Rating:Essay Length: 560 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: November 25, 2009 -
Utilitarianism Stuart Vs Mill
One of the major players in ethical theories has long been the concept of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism states that in general the ethical rightness or wrongness of an action is directly related to the utility of that action. Utility is more specifically defined as a measure of the goodness or badness of the consequences of an action. Utility is considered to be the tendency to produce happiness. There are two types of Utilitarianism; "act" and "rule".
Rating:Essay Length: 1,015 Words / 5 PagesSubmitted: November 29, 2009 -
Critique of Bentham’s Quantitative Utilitarianism
Over time, the actions of mankind have been the victim of two vague labels, right and wrong. The criteria for these labels are not clearly defined, but they still seem to be the standard by which the actions of man are judged. There are some people that abide by a deontological view when it comes to judging the nature of actions; the deontological view holds that it is a person's intention that makes an action
Rating:Essay Length: 686 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: December 13, 2009 -
Utilitarianism & Shopenhauer on Abortion
PHI 1030 Nancy L. Brown, Ph. D. April 14, 2008 Abortion Jane is a twenty year-old unmarried college student that found herself unexpectedly pregnant. While considering her options, she visits Arthur and John. Arthur is a well known philosopher specializing in the Schopenhauer philosophy. John on the other hand is a well known Utilitarian author. While Jane spends a couple days visiting these two philosophers, I went with her to document her journey. Jane first
Rating:Essay Length: 2,586 Words / 11 PagesSubmitted: December 14, 2009 -
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism In general, the philosophical idea of utilitarianism refers to the idea that choices or decisions should be based on maximizing positive consequences, that is produce the most good for the most people given equal consideration all involved. Utilitarian theory does not focus on the well-being of an individual, but maximizes the well-being of society as a whole. This ethical philosophy best describes the morality (goodness) of actions in terms of how effectively the actions
Rating:Essay Length: 784 Words / 4 PagesSubmitted: December 17, 2009 -
Utilitarianism
[edit] Utilitarianism Utilitarian arguments for the death penalty generally focus on its deterrence effect; that is, people commit fewer murders because they fear being punished with the death penalty (See #Deterrence, prevention, and economics section in this article). If more than one life is saved because of deterrence for every execution, all else equal the death penalty is justified. Utilitarians need not agree with the death penalty, however; they may argue that the evidence does
Rating:Essay Length: 289 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: December 19, 2009 -
Assess Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism, a form of consequentialism, is a philosophy that advocates mass pleasure for the majority. Although some utilitarian theories seek to maximise pleasurable consequences, (Hedonistic Utilitarianism, Act Utilitarianism), others seek to encourage rules that are seen as “right” (Rule Utilitarianism). However, all types of utilitarianism are defined by the principle of utility - “…the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people”. Two proprietors of utilitarianism are Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill,
Rating:Essay Length: 1,403 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: December 24, 2009 -
Utilitarianism and Animal Rights
Animal Rights Throughout history morality has been a topic of intense debate. Innumerable thinkers have devoted immense amounts of time and energy to the formulation of various ethical theories intended to assist humans in their daily lives. These theories set out guidelines which help to determine the rightness or wrongness of any given action and can therefore illuminate which choice would be morally beneficial. And while many of these theories differ substantially, most have at
Rating:Essay Length: 514 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: January 2, 2010 -
Flaws with Utilitarianism
Among the most glaring problems that I see with Utilitarianism is its inclusion of animals under the umbrella that blankets this theory. It seems irrefutable that there exists an inordinate number of cases where the consequence that is against the best interest of an animal is favorable to humans, yet that dictating action is one that has been continually taken and condoned by the general public. This is a fundamental challenge, as the Utilitarian philosophy
Rating:Essay Length: 655 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: January 8, 2010 -
Utilitarianism or God, Do We Have to Choose?
Utilitarianism or God, do we have to choose? During many years that question is being formulated and many scholars had a very difficult time to decide if it was possible to follow God’s will and the principle of utility maximization. The principle of utility maximization was a theory created by John Stuart Mill and presented in his book Utilitarianism (1863). Societies throughout the years have argued that those theories are hard to combine, since
Rating:Essay Length: 1,530 Words / 7 PagesSubmitted: January 11, 2010 -
The Utilitarian Approach
University of Nebraska at Lincoln Professor Sobel Philosophy 106 The Utilitarian Approach What is morally right, and what is morally wrong? Different ethical theorists have a wide variety of definitions to this question. Although it wasn't until the ethical revolution during the 18th and 19th centuries that utilitarianism took center stage defying all other theories. David Hume, Jeremy Bentham, and John Stuart set this revolution into progress stating that utilitarianism explains that morality is only
Rating:Essay Length: 350 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: February 1, 2010 -
Arguments on Utilitarianism
Arguments on Utilitarianism Which is more valuable: a game of push-pin or the study of Latin? Which has greater worth: the life of a single young girl or the lives of an entire community? These are the sorts of questions raised when dealing with the matter of utilitarianism. According to Jeremy Bentham, the father of the theory, the ultimate moral goal of human beings should be to increase pleasure and to decrease pain. To maximize
Rating:Essay Length: 444 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: February 4, 2010 -
Utilitarian Justification of Euthanasia
This was a very inspirational reading to me. I feel Martin Luther King Jr. was not only a leader for black civil rights but rights for all injustice towards minorities everywhere. He brings up great ideas for defining just and unjust laws. I agree with him when he says an unjust law is no law at all and should be denied in order to be just. When one becomes complacent towards injustice he is committing
Rating:Essay Length: 276 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: February 13, 2010 -
Why Is Business Ethics a Utilitarian Action in the Real World?
Why is business ethics a utilitarian action in the real world? Within the recent decade there has been a rise in awareness of global warming and ethical business practices within the general public and consumers. Just like human beings businesses are held liable and accountable for their practices. In the recent decade there has being a rise in their using these ethical standards as a means to create an image in consumers minds that their
Rating:Essay Length: 1,100 Words / 5 PagesSubmitted: February 15, 2010 -
Objections to Utilitarianism
Darwell’s objection to Utilitarianism states that it conflicts with moral common sense in three particular case studies. The first objection to Act Utilitarianism is “promise keeping.” Act utilitarianism is inconsistent with the moral conscious, because it forward looks considerations of what one would do. The consequences of not keeping the promise may be hard to determine whether it is right or wrong. One example of Darwell’s objection to Utilitarianism of “promise keeping” is keeping promises
Rating:Essay Length: 536 Words / 3 PagesSubmitted: February 25, 2010 -
Mill’s Utilitarianism
Mill's Utilitarianism When faced with a moral dilemma, utilitarianism identifies the appropriate considerations, but offers no realistic way to gather the necessary information to make the required calculations. This lack of information is a problem both in evaluating the welfare issues and in evaluating the consequentialist issues which utilitarianism requires be weighed when making moral decisions. Utilitarianism attempts to solve both of these difficulties by appealing to experience; however, no method of reconciling an individual
Rating:Essay Length: 1,323 Words / 6 PagesSubmitted: February 28, 2010 -
Utilitarianism
In Ethics: Selections from Classical and Contemporary Writers by Oliver A. and Johnson A. Reath, utilitarian is when the "right action should aim at producing the most good in the world in some impartial fashion---in particular that it should aim at increasing happiness and well-being and minimizing suffering." (Qut. Ethics: Selections from Classical and Contemporary Writers by Oliver A. and Johnson 320) Thus, this means that as long as an action can produce the greatest
Rating:Essay Length: 305 Words / 2 PagesSubmitted: March 2, 2010