People have long tried to interpret ethics in societies. Who, how, and why ethics was created are common debates among philosophers. In its simplest form, ethics can be described as how a differentiates between right and wrong. Whether that be due to society’s standards or their own, there are many theories to explain this daily-occurring phenomenon. Kantianism, the divine command theory, existentialism, ethical relativism, the virtue theory, and utilitarianism are the more widely known theories to describe how ethics came to be what we know today. All of these theories hold their own sets of beliefs and followers, but perhaps the one of the most well-known is utilitarianism.
Utilitarianism is a theory which basically states that the more …show more content…
His new theory essentially says that utilitarianism is to be used in a case by case basis, and if an action is indubitably wrong, even if it produces the greatest amount of pleasure, it should not be carried out (Sober, 343). An example of this might be child labor. It seems like the most pleasure would be produced for families and factories if children were to work daily, even in treacherous conditions. Thankfully, according to Mill’s theory, this would be determined to be ultimately wrong, and these types of situations would not occur. Although, with this new theory, a question arises: how do we determine what is “clearly wrong?” Even in the example displayed earlier, in some societies, it is completely okay for a child to work in a factory. There is no set form of right or wrong between persons or societies, which makes this theory difficult to …show more content…
This view states that a person’s character is the ultimate reason behind their actions (Sober, 353). This theory does have some meaning, however, it could be reversed. If one does not have time to weigh their options, who is to say that they would make the decision that produces the most pleasure? Especially under stress, a person might be inclined to do something they did not really intend, thus going against their instinctive nature. Utilitarianism depends on “making a moral judgement about the (example) situation” (Sober, 348). If the person does not have time to weight their options, they do not have time to act like a utilitarian, as these views require “moral judgement.” Even with these counterarguments to criticisms in mind, utilitarianism is not the greatest ethical theory. In fact, Sober even says that “then this should be enough to make you doubt that utilitarianism is correct” (Sober, 354). The objections to this theory are much too vast in order to call this a strong, supportive theory. It conflicts with the motives of people, different preference, and doubts of what happiness really is. These things can lead to the conclusions that utilitarianism may have some good points, but is overall crushed underneath its criticisms and
Utilitarianism is a theory which basically states that the more …show more content…
His new theory essentially says that utilitarianism is to be used in a case by case basis, and if an action is indubitably wrong, even if it produces the greatest amount of pleasure, it should not be carried out (Sober, 343). An example of this might be child labor. It seems like the most pleasure would be produced for families and factories if children were to work daily, even in treacherous conditions. Thankfully, according to Mill’s theory, this would be determined to be ultimately wrong, and these types of situations would not occur. Although, with this new theory, a question arises: how do we determine what is “clearly wrong?” Even in the example displayed earlier, in some societies, it is completely okay for a child to work in a factory. There is no set form of right or wrong between persons or societies, which makes this theory difficult to …show more content…
This view states that a person’s character is the ultimate reason behind their actions (Sober, 353). This theory does have some meaning, however, it could be reversed. If one does not have time to weigh their options, who is to say that they would make the decision that produces the most pleasure? Especially under stress, a person might be inclined to do something they did not really intend, thus going against their instinctive nature. Utilitarianism depends on “making a moral judgement about the (example) situation” (Sober, 348). If the person does not have time to weight their options, they do not have time to act like a utilitarian, as these views require “moral judgement.” Even with these counterarguments to criticisms in mind, utilitarianism is not the greatest ethical theory. In fact, Sober even says that “then this should be enough to make you doubt that utilitarianism is correct” (Sober, 354). The objections to this theory are much too vast in order to call this a strong, supportive theory. It conflicts with the motives of people, different preference, and doubts of what happiness really is. These things can lead to the conclusions that utilitarianism may have some good points, but is overall crushed underneath its criticisms and