A Hedonistic Value Theory: Act Utilitarianism

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Phil106 – Utilitarianism Essay

The basis of this essay will be a description of John Stuart Mills / Jeremy Bentham hedonistic value theory: Act Utilitarianism. I’m going to consider the objections to Act Utilitarianism commitment to neutrality and the equal consideration of interests. Arguing that these objections are sufficed in disregarding the nature of Act Utilitarianism viability as a moral theory. However I will induct a constructive alteration that emancipates Act Utilitarianism from these objections.

Act Utilitarianism
“Substantial part of your moral thinking is basically utilitarian in character”. (Feldman, 1978). Act Utilitarianism is a hedonistic value theory held by John Stuart Mill 's Utilitarianism: described as “...actions
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' (Mill, 1957). Act Utilitarianism has been featured around the Principle of Utility. Utility can be simply described as happiness. Utilitarians in cooperate utility to be the evaluation method in which we are able to decipher which consequences would be fore most or which outcomes of the situation that maximizes the concluding happiness. For Utilitarianism for the action or situation to be considered right or wrong is solely reliant on the occurring consequences rather than the intentions. This is explanatory to why utilitarianism is considered to be a consequentialist theory. Understanding how the theory of how Utilitarian operates can be illustrated with the following comparison between: comparing the consequences of scrolling Facebook for the entirety of the day tomorrow to the consequential acts of helping your neighbour with their garden. By helping your neighbour with their gardening you are maximising the overall happiness produced rather than being on Facebook for the day. In accordance to the Act Utilitarianism theory it is the right for you to help your neighbour, and wrong for you to scroll Facebook. Utilitarians have the understanding that …show more content…
Considered to be fallacious owing to two reasons. The first reason being that the Theory of Act Utilitarianism acquires too much additional reasoning that is limited by the expectation of people. Being self-obligated is a section of who we are as humans and the incentive to act for ourselves and the ones we hold close becomes of concern when Act Utilitarianism engages in the equal consideration of unfamiliar people and the ethical concept of utilitarian’s forbid this sort of self indulgence it becomes to much difficult. Secondly Act Utilitarianism doesn’t give reasoning to the moral conformation to acknowledged standards that your penchant to yourself and your family and

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