Rule utilitarianism

John Rawls in his “A Theory of Justice” tries to identify an alternative viable theory of social justice to other predominant doctrines, which have dominated our philosophical tradition. While the author acknowledges that most citizens and institutions recognise the principle of social justice, he also underlines that their conceptions on the distribution of basic rights and duties are influenced by their interests and hence, are not always to the advantage of all citizens. In fact, Rawls…

Integrity can be defined as the quality of being honest, and having strong moral principles and uprightness. It is the state of being whole and undivided, the word integrity comes from the same Latin root as integer and implies a wholeness of a person. Just as we would talk about a whole number, we can also talk about a whole person who is undivided. A person of integrity lives rightly, he/ she is not divided, neither are they a different person in different circumstances. Excellence work hand…

Utopia is idolized as the perfect society everyone wants to live in. But is living in the perfect society a flaw that people can’t understand. Utopia is so perfect that Dystopia its evil counterpart gets overlooked because of everyone's desire to have perfection. When in reality there is no such thing as a perfect society because not everything is perfect. Somewhere between the lines, there is a flaw that occurs and diminishes the perfection. Dystopia is not what you expect it to be it is the…

Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is based on the idea that our moral worth of our actions is only determined by its involvement to overall utility in maximizing happiness or pleasure in society. It is, then, the total utility of individuals which is important here, the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. “Utility, after which the doctrine is named, is a measure in economics of the relative satisfaction from, or desirability of, the consumption of goods.” (mustin, 2008) It seems…

I will be comparing and contrasting Aristotle’s and the Stoics’ view of human happiness, and using these theories and views, examining if bodily and external goods are necessary to happiness, and to be able to back up why it either is or is not necessary. The two had many similarities, and differences that can be expanded. The Stoics believed our happiness was based off one thing entirely, and that is virtues. Aristotle breaks down how happiness is the highest possible good. Aristotle wrote…

In the article, Why Smiles Generate Leniency, researchers Marianne LaFrance and Marvin A. Hecht, explore the smile-leniency effect. Their first objective is to see if different types of smiles affect the degree of leniency that is shown. The researchers define the smile leniency effect as the phenomena when "smiling can attenuate judgments of possible wrongdoing." They present some background research by Forgas supporting this effect which found that teachers were more lenient with students who…

Universal Moral Rightness Amongst philosophers there is much debate over what makes an act right or wrong and whether or not that act has to be inherently wrong or is circumstantial. For an act to be right, must it be possible to will that everyone acts the same way in similar circumstances? According to Immanuel Kant, an 18th century Prussian philosopher, as well as many other deontological philosophers: yes. However, this moral interpretation can manifest conflicts and discrepancies of duty.…

According to moral relativism, or ethical relativism, all views, no matter if they vary across cultures or people, are equally valid and no single belief is absolute, but is satisfactory to the moral standards of a person or group of people. These beliefs are stemmed from ones’ environment or preference. Just because something may be right for you, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is right for everyone else. Ethical relativism is linked to normative subjectivism, which describes the state under…

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on the end outcomes (O’Brien). Greek philosophers defined what is ethical as that which creates the greatest balance of pleasure over pain, in other words the greatest good for the greatest number. In business, utilitarianism is usually the most frequent approach to moral reasoning because of the way it considers for cost. Utilitarianism only considers the consequences of an action and in this case utilitarianism…

In this paper, I will argue that people who should be considered to be altruistic are those who act magnanimously to those outside of their family or general social group. I will use examples such as kin selection, animal altruism, and arguments against psychological egoism to assist in proving my thesis to be true. I will also address a counter argument made by some psychological egoists who believe that due to most people feeling pleasure while doing good things for others, that there are no…