Samuel Bentham

Human Nature Challenges the idea of the Panopticon What would you do if you thought you were constantly being watched? Would you change how you approached certain situations or would it drive you to do things you never imagined? Throughout the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses Jeremy Bentham’s design of the Panopticon which is based on Foucault's theory. Bentham states: “The Panopticon was to be a prison that gave the inmates the impression they were being watched at all times” (Bentham). Bentham’s reason behind this was, “It creates within the individual a sense of being continually watched – regardless of whether or not they actually are – so that, after a period of time, individuals come to regulate their own behavior” (Bentham).…

Every day, we as humans, face tasks that we must come to a decision on whether we are going to do what is morally right, or for the better for the greatest amount of people. Utilitarianism is the action that is best, which procures the greatest happiness for the greatest numbers (100). This may be helpful for short term tasks and requirements, but in the long run always choosing the action that benefits everyone would ultimately hold people back. I will discuss both sides to utilitarianism, how…

Utilitarianism is a consequentialist moral theory, where actions are judged right or wrong solely by virtue of their consequences which was introduced by Jeremy Bentham and later carried out by John Stuart Mill (Kemerling,2011). In regards to the consequences the only importance is the amount of happiness or unhappiness that was produced. In regards to utilitarianism it is believed that everyone counts as one, and no one counts as less or more than another person. And that a person should do…

Michael Foucault believes that modern society is a society of surveillance, and his predictions could not be more accurate. Through the intention of producing something as lighthearted as entertainment, we have relied on the panoptic order to secure this gaze. This essay will use Foucault’s theory of the ‘panoptic’ order to discuss the ways the, ‘Funniest Security Camera Moments of All Time’ from America’s Funniest Home Videos uses found footage comedies to define our modern day visual culture.…

In certain extracts of John Stuart Mill’s “Utilitarianism,” he argues, “that the only ends of human life are pleasure and the avoidance of pain, so that anything else is bound ultimately to turn in some way on these ends” (Mill 127). Essentially this means that Mill believes that pleasure and the avoidance of pain are the guiding source when it comes to making decisions regarding moral dilemmas. This claim also involves stating that utility is the ultimate source for decision making. Utility is…

What is a moral? A moral is the consideration between right and wrong and the goodness and badness of the human character. For more than two thousand years the question has been about the basis of morality. There are different ways to look at moral including the theory of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism while it emphasizes the upside of life, it ignores the downsides of life. This way of decision making has a greater impact in life and morals than just the moral choices made in a Utilitarianism…

The topic of the death penalty has been considered a controversial issue for over two hundred years. Numerous public figures, world leaders, and renowned philosophers have made their opinions and theories known; yet, there is no universally accepted answer to whether or not capital punishment is morally and lawfully permissible. Despite hundreds of years of discrepancies, philosophers John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant seem to agree with many aspects of the death penalty. Through the…

countries would experience a gain in the short term. However, those short term gains are outweighed by the potential negative consequences that would come from widespread acceptance of this moral rule. Therefore, Rule Utilitarianism would rule this unethical. The other utilitarian theory is Act Utilitarianism. This theory differs from Rule Utilitarianism by focusing solely on the case at hand. We must only look at the consequences of continuing to develop Taiwan’s Sun Moon Lake when…

The utilitarianism and deontological ethical theories can be used to explain the solution to the ethical dilemma of pushing sales versus demeaning the body image of a consumer. The utilitarianism theory posits that the greater good is the only concern and that the right course of action would lead to the least amount of pain or the greatest pleasure. As such, the theory takes into account the majority instead of the minority. Most advertisements and promotions get considerable share of…

Process Versus Human Problem Is it possible to achieve ultimate perfection? How can humans become the best versions of themselves? For Enlightenment philosophers like Descartes, empirical thinking was the source of human improvement. For a Romantic poet like Charles Baudelaire, awareness of the nature of humanity was of most importance. In Descartes Discourse on Method and Charles Baudelaire’s collection of poetry, it is clear that both men had differing views on the understanding of self.…