Preview

Strength Of Utilitarianism

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1483 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Strength Of Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism: For and Against Many people have heard of the word utilitarianism, but don’t exactly know what utilitarianism means or what it is. After reading about utilitarianism in this paper, you will have a perfect understanding of utilitarianism and be able to teach others about it. To start off, I will give a detailed description of utilitarianism as a whole and will then move into explaining the development of utilitarianism from Jeremy Bentham to John Stuart Mill. I will also be stating and describing some common objections of utilitarianism. Obviously, there are some possible objections that could cause someone to reject utilitarianism, but that does not mean we should reject the theory as a whole. Utilitarianism offers some ideas …show more content…
The first strength is that it is a single principle, that could potentially hold an answer for every situation. Following that, the second strength of utilitarianism is that there is a substance of morality to it. The third strength of utilitarianism is that it addresses the problem of posterity. Going back to the first strength of utilitarianism, the theory of utilitarianism could provide an answer to any situation that is given. “Do what will promote the most utility” (Fieser and Pojman, 107). This means that in any situation based on the theory of utilitarianism, the choice that is made should provide the most usefulness, profitability, or be the most beneficial. Whenever someone is faced with a difficult decision and cannot decide on what to do, they can use the theory of utilitarianism to make the choice for them. It is very beneficial to have such a simple principle that could be used in any situation at any time. Onto the second strength of utilitarianism, the substance of morality utilitarianism brings. Utilitarianism promotes the flourishing of humans and the reducing of suffering. This means that the theory of utilitarianism wants humans to have the greatest amount of happiness from each decision that is made and decisions that are made should not cause the suffering of humans. The third and final strength of utilitarianism I’m going to discuss is how utilitarianism addressed the problem of posterity. “Utilitarian’s have on overriding duty: to maximize general happiness” (Fieser and Pojman, 108). Utilitarian’s make their decisions on what’s best for future generations on Earth. One example of this would be recycling, recycling is believed to protect the environment. Since recycling is going to have the most positive affect on future generations, utilitarian’s will without a question do all the recycling they can do. Utilitarian’s also believe that if the quality of life in the future is going to be
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Comparison Of Utilitarian Ethical Theories
    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Comparison Of Utilitarian Ethical Theories

    Utilitarian ethical theories are based on one’s ability to expect the concerns of an deed. Utilitarianism’s creed is that the result of any action takes importance over any type of means, this means that Utilitarianisms objective is to help as many individuals as possible even if it were to negatively disturb people along the way so as long as it helped the general populace. Basically, it’s the ends that matter not necessarily the means.…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism
    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism

    In the article, “Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism”, Louis P. Pojman explained the grounds on which utilitarianism has been attacked and showed some possible response to its defenders which imply his positive attitude towards utilitarianism [1] . In order to argue that thesis, Pojman’s one important premise is the response to the no-rest objection. He believed that the agent should aim at maximizing his or her own happiness as well as other people’s happiness and is best not to worry much about the need of those not in our primary circle.[1] .…

    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nazi Prisoner Doctors
    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Nazi Prisoner Doctors

    Mill, J. S. (1863). “Utilitarianism.” Exploring philosophy: an introductory anthology (4th ed., pp. 420-427). New York: Oxford University Press.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Explain The Key Ideas Of Utilitarianism
    • 972 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Explain 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.…

    • 972 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Restricted Utilitarianism Analysis
    • 1869 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Restricted Utilitarianism Analysis

    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 should live their lives the way an extreme utilitarian would. Through the course of this paper there will be multiple examples of each kind of utilitarianism, restricted and extreme, and Smart’s opinions on the matter. While some examples will support…

    • 1869 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Utilitarianism Has No Serious Weaknesses Discuss
    • 517 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Utilitarianism Has No Serious Weaknesses Discuss

    Utilitarianism is a teleological theory which looks at the consequences of an act to decide whether it is right or wrong. There are lots of strengths to utilitarianism and not many weaknesses. One of the strengths is that it is a theory which established whether something was good or bad according to the majority of people. Bentham came up with this theory and it is known as the principle of utility. Bentham said ‘Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them to point out what we shall do’. This is the foundation for the principle of utility and it is a strength to utilitarianism as pleasure and pain can determine how people act. Bentham also said the aim of utilitarianism is ‘the greatest good of the greatest number’ and he used the Hedonic Calculus that he created to measure how good an act is and how many people it will affect, this is a major strength of utilitarianism because it tries to please everyone and each individual is equal. A weakness of Bentham’s view was noticed by Mill, Mill said it failed to differentiate humans from animals as animals can share the same pleasures that humans have, so this make human beings equal to animals. Mill also said that Bentham’s Hedonic Calculus was a weakness as it was too impractical as to use it you have to think of the; purity, intensity, certainty, extent, duration and fecundity of an act. In some situations this would be pointless as there might not be time to complete the Hedonic Calculus. For example is your house was on fire and you only had time to save either you cat or your dog you would not be able to think through the Hedonic Calculus as by the time you have your house would be burnt to the ground. This is a weakness to Bentham’s theory but not to utilitarianism because you can still please the majority without looking at the Hedonic Calculus every time you want to complete an act.Bernard…

    • 517 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Utilitarianism Classical Utilitarianism
    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Utilitarianism Classical Utilitarianism

    Classical Utilitarianism is a moral philosophy, which was developed in 19th century England by Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill and Henry Sidgwick. The essential feature a utilitarian reside in, is the notion that an action is right if it produces the most amount of happiness well limiting suffering. Utilitarianism focuses solely on the consequences of the action, in an attempt to bring about the most happiness from each situation, well ensuring everybody’s happiness is equally considered.…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Torture: Morality and Terrorist
    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Torture: Morality and Terrorist

    -Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. In Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings, Fifth Edition.Eds JohnPerry, Michael Bratman and John Martin Fischer. New York, NY: Oxford University press, 2010. Pp. 457-476.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Founding Fathers Of Utilitarianism
    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Founding Fathers Of Utilitarianism

    "Create all the happiness you are able to create; remove all the misery you are able to remove." - Jeremy BenthamJeremy Bentham created the utilitarianism school of thought, which is an incredibly useful ethical position. It can be most effectively defined by Wikipedia, "Utilitarianism is the idea that the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its contribution to overall utility." Utilitarianism has many benefits, but those benefits are harmonized with some major flaws. I will discuss the founding fathers of utilitarianism, the strengths and weaknesses of act-utilitarianism and rule-utilitarianism, other forms of utilitarianism, and recent philosophers of this school of thought.…

    • 1550 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Good and Evil in High Noon
    • 1373 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Good and Evil in High Noon

    Utilitarianism is an ethical theory most often ascribed to the philosopher John Stuart Mill. The utilitarian theory suggests actions and/or intentions are not right or wrong; rather the morality of a choice or act is determined by the outcome or result. Utilitarian’s believe outcomes can be determined in advance of an action and the ethical choice is one which provides the best result or most happiness for the greatest number of individuals (e.g., pleasure, happiness, health, knowledge, satisfaction). The utility theory asserts morality is a means to some other end, it does not stand on its own as being intrinsically moral.…

    • 1373 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Utilitarianism and Happiness
    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Utilitarianism and Happiness

    In his book, J.S. Mill attempts to build on Jeremy Bentham's original idea of Utilitarianism. His definition of the moral theory is one that is grounded in Bentham's original work but also extends to include remarks to criticisms of Utilitarianism.…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Outline The Theory Of Utilitarianism
    • 2019 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Outline The 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 comes from the Greek word 'utility' meaning usefulness. So, Utilitarianism is a theory of usefulness and as a result of this theory an action is correct if it creates the greatest happiness for the greatest good. This theory…

    • 2019 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Utilitarianism
    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Utilitarianism

    Utilitarianism is the view that an act is right if it equals the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Utilitarians describe moral actions as actions that boost something good and lessen something that is bad. Virtue, knowledge, and goodwill are all good but they are only good if they give people a pleasurable existence. Pain is the only thing that is intrinsically bad. Utilitarians focus on the result of an act instead of the inherent nature of the act. An example would be an individual throwing their garbage into the ocean. Utilitarians would say throwing garbage into the ocean is not necessarily bad, but the effect it leaves will cause harm sooner or later and that is what is bad. I do not think that utilitarianism can be an ethical theory. It is simply too difficult to determine whether the utilitarian theory can be justified. The dilemma of trying to focus on a positive outcome or focusing on the actions that we take in order to accomplish the greatest good is too hard to measure.…

    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Argument For Utilitarianism
    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Argument For Utilitarianism

    Among the ethical arguments that we have seen, it is clear that a form of utilitarianism is the best option, that is, we should always do what brings about the best outcome where the outcomes are rated by the amount of good they bring about. The utilitarian argument says that in any given decision, the option that brings about the most good is the right thing to do every time. That being said, the definition of good is extremely important to the soundness of the argument. In this case, the best view of what is good is that of a hedonist, that is, a thing is good if it brings about pleasure and bad if it brings about suffering. To add to this however, I would argue that the best good outcome is the outcome which…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Lifeboat Case And Utilitarianism
    • 583 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Lifeboat Case And Utilitarianism

    Utilitarianism is a theory of justice whose highest principle is to maximize happiness and utility: “The basic idea of utilitarianism is simple: the right thing to do is what produces the most good” (Mill, 15). The “most good” can be understood in terms of happiness, or the greater amount of pleasure than of pain. Therefore, utilitarians measure the consequences of actions by how much the results bring happiness to the greatest amount of people. The best alternative to any situation is the one that produces the greatest net utility. According to John Stuart Mill, “”Utility” or the “greatest happiness principle” holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (16). Therefore, whatever produces the most good is considered to be just.…

    • 583 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics