Hedonism

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that defines as “the ethical doctrine that virtue is based on utility, and that conduct should be directed toward promoting the greatest happiness of the greatest number of persons (dictionary.com).” In other words, that the best decision for society should impact the greater population positively. There are many proactive and hindering attributes to Parole and Probation. It is supposed to have a positive outcome for the “greater good,” but many individuals…

B1. What do you see as the most damaging objection to Utilitarianism? Do you think Utilitarianism can survive it? Utilitarianism is an effort to provide an answer to the ethical question: “What should a man to do?” How should he act to others? Its answer is that he ought to do good or not do bad. Happiness is obtained from the feeling of doing good to others. But why then are so many altruistic people so miserably depressed? Let's take Mother Theresa for example. She dedicate her life's work…

The complete absence of pain my present itself to be blissful, though this very notion allows for the flaws of uncontested pleasure to shine through. Utopia is generally thought to be devoid of any struggle, which in practicality, this overshadows humanity’s genuine need for pain. This presents the need for emotional equilibrium, which contributes to the betterment of society through the balance of pleasure and pain. The thoughts presented by both Epicurus and Keats speak to the necessity of…

Disturbing Discrepancies Utilitarianism is a theory of morality in government that operates under the principle that the good of the masses is more important than the happiness of any single person or entity. It argues that whatever action will bring about the greatest good for the greatest number is therefore the right option. This idea of improving the lives of many is hard to refute simply as a principle, as one is certainly in the moral right to place one’s neighbors before oneself. That…

“Image of Limited Good In Galatians” Limited good is defined by George M Foster is how a peasant view their social, economic, and natural universes, their total environment as one in which all the desired things in life such as land, wealth, health, friendship and love, manliness and honor, respect and status, power and influence, security and safety, exist in finite quantity and are always in short supply, as far as the peasant is concerned. Not only do these and all other ‘good things exist…

Epicurus was an Athenian philosopher who based his philosophy on perception, natural science, the liberation of the fear of gods and death, and the pleasure that comes from the absence of these anxieties. Epicurus was an Athenian citizen but grew up on the island of Samos with his parents, Neocles and Chairestrate. When Alexander the Great died, and the Athenians were expelled from Samos, he joined his father in Colophon on the Asiatic Coast, where he studied under Nausiphanes of Teos, where he…

stable for the ‘haves’ often at the expense of the ‘have-nots.’ This duality of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ has expressed itself through multiple American conflicts and struggles, and is depicted in a plethora of American literature. Ultimately, hedonism, the glorification and maximization of pleasure and the minimization of all suffering, becomes the meaning of the American Dream. The American Revolution sparks images in one’s mind of valiant patriots…

much about sexual attraction or sexual behaviors outside of an academic standpoint. This is because I am someone who identifies under the umbrella of asexuality. That being said, it should be no surprise that I lean toward asceticism rather than hedonism. While I do enjoy the pleasures of life, I am more concerned with cultivating…

then we would not be purchasing more to look like others who have more. The buying of unnecessary items by people would stop, because they would not feel like they didn’t fit in. Hedonistic consumerism is also discussed in Kendall’s essay. Hedonism, according to Kendall, suggests some people are so caught up in consumerism that it becomes their reason for existence and the primary thing that brings them happiness. This is a disturbingly common thought process. Although many people…

Utilitarians argue that the most important principle is the “greatest happiness principle”, or utility. It states that “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness” or “wrong as they intend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Mill 10). For the utilitarian, the action that helps them gain feelings of happiness are right, and those that take away from it are considered to be wrong or hurtful. Happiness, for Mill and other utilitarians is the presence of intended pleasure…