Jeremy Brett

In this paper, I will prove that Robert Nozick’s “The Experience Machine” is an argument against Hedonism. Hedonism consists of the only things desirable in the end, which are pleasure and freedom from pains. Nozick's aim in discussing the experience machine is to create a thought experiment that sheds light on what we value in life, which illustrates the argument: Is it better for us to have the experience of being great or is it better for us to be great? Hedonism: the that pleasure, or…

The word “Utilitarianism" was first used by British philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) in An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation in 1781. His utilitarianism was based on three points: pain and happiness, utility, and consequentialism. Bentham believed that pain and pleasure of a certain behavior is the only criterion for judging good and evil. Pleasure means good, pain means evil; pursuing happiness and avoid suffering were human nature. Based on this, he proposed a…

John Stuart Mill's teleological perspective of Utilitarianism, guarantees that “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and the privation of pleasure.” (Mill, p.54) This ethical theory emphasizes that as reasonable beings that naturally interact and are compelled to settle on choices every day, how those choices are established—our…

Utilitarianism is the theory that an act is morally right so long as the act is useful or provides benefits. There are two distinct types of utilitarianism: act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism states that an act is morally right if it produces the best possible results in a particular circumstance over the other possible choice of action. Rule utilitarianism is a type of utilitarianism which states that an act is morally right if and only if it is accepted as a morally…

Atonement by definition is the satisfaction, reparation, or expiation given for an injury or wrong. Hanks (1994). This is the main theme that weaves throughout the novel by McEwan. McEwan has constructed the novel in three parts and a final coda each aiding to the climax of the book and the meaning of his title. The novel is set initially in the mid-thirties. Young Briony Tallis, reports an incident that has come from a fabrication of an earlier situation she had witnessed. Atonement tells the…

Act utilitarianism has slightly different connotations depending on the philosopher being discussed. However, the general contemporary act utilitarian defines an action as morally necessary only if there is no other action that would produce an equal or greater amount of happiness. In line with this contemporary definition, Bentham recognized the fundamental role of pleasure and pain in the human life and used his knowledge to create an act utilitarian measure of actions. Bentham approves or…

UTILITARIANISM: According to John Stuart Mill, the doctrine of Utilitarianism is that happiness is desirable, and the only thing desirable, as an end; all other things being desirable as means to that end. In applying Utilitarianism to ethical dilemmas, it is important to assess the issue by discerning it as right or wrong based on the virtue of the dilemma’s consequences. With the consequences assessed, the amount of happiness and unhappiness is the only thing relevant to the consequences. It…

Utilitarianism comes from the word utility, which means the state of being beneficial to those affected. The Theory of Utilitarianism is the idea that a person must make decisions that create the greatest amount of utility for the greatest amount of people. Utilitarianism is a Consequentialist theory because it claims that actions are morally right if they produce the desired consequences, which according to Mill, are pleasures. There are two types of Utilitarianism: Act Utilitarianism and Rule…

Consequentialism is a theory suggesting that the morality of an action is judged solely by its consequences. This is what is defined as the greater good; a decision made that would lead to further progression and would positively impact the majority of a community, from which personal satisfaction is gained. It is argued that to achieve the greater good, one must do a little wrong. Wrong is etymologically a negative of right. For an act to be deemed as wrong, it has to physically or mentally…

The utilitarian theory is based on greatest happiness principle. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory, as it judges the rightness and wrongness of an action by its consequences (Arras & et al., n.d). This theory provides us with a decision procedure such as what action produces the greatest net amount of happiness. In other words, this theory will guide us to bring more happiness. Since the patient is unconscious most of the time, and is not in a condition to decide or is not capable of…