“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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Virtue is the conformation of one’s life and conduct to moral and ethical principles. Virtue is a trait that many people would see as good. This word means many different things to many different people as described in this paper. I will be describing The Sophists‚ Socrates‚ and my own view on virtue and what it is means in all of our minds. Back in the fifth century B.C.E. (Before Common Era) many Athenians such as Socrates believed that there was a basis for stable and certain knowledge. They
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Business: Practical application vs. ethics Pete Holiday said "Capitalism needs to function like a game of tug-of-war. Two opposing sides need to continually struggle for dominance‚ but at no time can either side be permitted to walk away with the rope." It seems that college is just training for a businessperson to deal with that tug of war. Michael Inciardi‚ a York College Senior‚ thought that one of the most important skills he acquired from college was "Competing seemingly enormous tasks in
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Destroying the ecosystem would not be inherently wrong on the basis of utilitarianism if the usage benefits all citizens. The text explains utilitarianism as “everyone should perform that act or follow that moral rule that will bring about the great good (or happiness) for everyone concerned” (Thiroux & Krasemna‚ 2.3). All Utilitarians believe that every action shall be conducted with the highest consideration of all mankind. If each person used the nature for the benefit of all and the resources
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In his piece‚ “Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism” J. J. C. Smart illustrated just how different extreme utilitarianism and restricted utilitarianism are from each other and which one is more realistic to follow. Smart developed this idea by supplying his readers with various examples on each side and explaining them thoroughly. Smart’s objective from presenting this piece is to show just how unreasonable restricted utilitarianism is in most‚ if not all situations. He also explains why people
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job to be able to financially support your family. Most people would agree that lying or torturing someone is wrong. However‚ some may argue that if you are helping more people than you are hurting‚ then it is okay to lie to or torture someone. Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that the action you choose to perform should result in “the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people” (MacKinnon and Fiala). It is a form of consequentialism that focuses on the consequences of actions
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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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“Utilitarianism works” Asses this view Bentham created utilitarianism and Mill improved it. It main points are that human society exists to create happiness‚ that happiness is the highest goal and that everything needs to fit a purpose. The advantages of Bentham’s theory include a reasonable link between moralities‚ the pursuit of happiness and the avoidance of pain. According to Bowie it seems natural to consider the consequences when deciding our actions. He stated that “Utilitarianism offers
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Introduction Business ethics: It is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in business environment. It applies to all aspect of business and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and entire organization. Ethics is mainly concerned with what is good versus bad‚ what is right versus wrong. Deontology is an ethical theory that holds that actions are right or wrong independent of their consequences. Utilitarianism is an ethical
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competition. Morality depends on our motives and of procedures. Although we can do what we want‚ we have to work without doing harm or violating any laws because this will result to corruption‚ violence‚ theft‚ etc. On the other hand‚ Utilitarianism states the overall and the greatest good‚ or the “Greatest happiness of the greatest number”. The basis for right and wrong depends if the given consequence or action upholds the happiness of the majority. It may promote human welfare but argument
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