Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness, utilizes varying themes to convey the depth of man’s inner corruption. One reoccurring theme addressed throughout the novel is the value of decisions, focusing on life or death. The books states the Europeans of the Company and the attempt to colonize the Congo River with the intent of helping the native people of the land and as many individuals as possible. The falsehood of this aid is highlighted through the main character Marlow’s eyes in the greed, evil, and horrid treatment of slaves. Making the decision to value one man’s life above another’s due to circumstances plays into a Utilitarianism approach. Utilitarianism exists in different forms with the essential overall idea of actions that affect
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John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham are similar in their understanding of Utilitarianism. Bentham introduced and helped coin the Utilitarianism approach in philosophy, whereas Mill took these foundational points and expanded on them. According to publishyourarticles.net, Mill dictates “Moral standard is general happiness. That desire, action or motive which adds to the general happiness is good, and its converse bad” (Troyer). Bentham’s idea favors individual happiness rather than general. Both of these correlate to the ‘greatest good’ approach and determines morality by the consequences of an act. Immanuel Kant, however, disagrees strongly with this form of utilitarianism. According to the book 50 Philosophy Classics, Kant states “The better use of reason…was to lead us to a more objective morality. If something could not be shown to be good in a rational way, and could not be applied universally, then it was probably not good” (Butler-Bowdon 158). Where Bentham and Mill see Utilitarianism as focusing on consequences to see what is good or bad, Kant believes right or wrong can be determined with no respect to the consequences. The most modern and accepted form of this theory is John Stuart Mill and his view on seeing and viewing choices into …show more content…
Officials in high government, such as that of the President, make decisions that will protect their people. These decisions, though often times very difficult, have to be taken through the lens of a Utilitarianism approach in order to be justified. Perhaps one of the best examples to help display this struggle is President Harry Truman’s choice that helped bring an end to World War II. *According to one online source, “…August 6, 1945, a plane called the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima… On August 9, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki…On August 14, 1945, the Japanese surrendered” (ushistory.org). Truman chose to end the war by the use of nuclear weapons. He fought with his choice, knowing how many Japanese lives he would end. However, he had to look at the war as a whole. After being at war with Japan for four years, the death toll of soldiers from either side had grown. President Truman had to use a ‘greatest good for the greatest amount of people’ approach. He made his decision knowing that ending the war would save both American lives and Japanese lives in the long
John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham are similar in their understanding of Utilitarianism. Bentham introduced and helped coin the Utilitarianism approach in philosophy, whereas Mill took these foundational points and expanded on them. According to publishyourarticles.net, Mill dictates “Moral standard is general happiness. That desire, action or motive which adds to the general happiness is good, and its converse bad” (Troyer). Bentham’s idea favors individual happiness rather than general. Both of these correlate to the ‘greatest good’ approach and determines morality by the consequences of an act. Immanuel Kant, however, disagrees strongly with this form of utilitarianism. According to the book 50 Philosophy Classics, Kant states “The better use of reason…was to lead us to a more objective morality. If something could not be shown to be good in a rational way, and could not be applied universally, then it was probably not good” (Butler-Bowdon 158). Where Bentham and Mill see Utilitarianism as focusing on consequences to see what is good or bad, Kant believes right or wrong can be determined with no respect to the consequences. The most modern and accepted form of this theory is John Stuart Mill and his view on seeing and viewing choices into …show more content…
Officials in high government, such as that of the President, make decisions that will protect their people. These decisions, though often times very difficult, have to be taken through the lens of a Utilitarianism approach in order to be justified. Perhaps one of the best examples to help display this struggle is President Harry Truman’s choice that helped bring an end to World War II. *According to one online source, “…August 6, 1945, a plane called the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima… On August 9, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki…On August 14, 1945, the Japanese surrendered” (ushistory.org). Truman chose to end the war by the use of nuclear weapons. He fought with his choice, knowing how many Japanese lives he would end. However, he had to look at the war as a whole. After being at war with Japan for four years, the death toll of soldiers from either side had grown. President Truman had to use a ‘greatest good for the greatest amount of people’ approach. He made his decision knowing that ending the war would save both American lives and Japanese lives in the long