Samuel Bentham

In the essay I am writing today I will be comparing utilitarianism; also called consequentialism, and Kantian ethical theories. The attitude towards what is right or wrong is what constitutes the basic difference between the two theories. Utilitarianism says an act is justified if the end result is happiness for all. The Kantian theory states that end does not justify means, and whatever we do inside our obligations is morally good. The dilemma I used for this essay was under the Paradigm #4…

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…

Utilitarianism, on the other hand, states that actions are morally right or wrong depending on their consequences (Matti, 1994). Mill said: “Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness”. Ideally, if gene editing follows the rules of utilitarianism, it should be a technique that leads to the greatest happiness for the greatest amount of people (Matti 1994). The happiness such as: couples will no longer have to anxious about the possible genetic diseases. This positive motive…

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.…

John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism provides the reader with a meaning behind the value of utilitarianism as a moral theory. Mill defines the utilitarianism theory as one that state's “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (p. 90). Many utilitarians look at utility as pleasure, with the absence of pain. He presents utilitarianism as a view that utilitarians perceive to be the morally right action is the action…

Righteous. What does it mean to be righteous? The definition of righteous is to be morally right or justifiable, but is that the only definition? How do we know if someone has the quality of righteousness? It all depends on one’s opinion of what they believe is righteous through their own morals and beliefs. Bilbo demonstrates righteousness on multiple occasions through the book. He takes some reasonable and just actions at times and there are other moments where you could question his…

Ethical egoism states that one should do things that benefit in their own interest. Some key features of ethical egoism are ethical subjectivism, Naïve Ethical egoism, and enlightened ethical egoism. This theory claims that we should act from self-love. However, Egoists have different views about what is good for the individual depending on the situation. In “Don’t Help Me” Kevin is confused about what steps he should take to help his friend, so I am going to advise him based on ethical egoism…

Humanism It is about methodology of values and beliefs that is based on the idea that people are basically good and that problems can be solved using reason instead of religion. Humanism is a philosophy in a form of science and inspired by art, and motivated by compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports the maximization of individual…

Utilitarianism is centered around the idea that the right action is the one that promotes the most utility, otherwise known as happiness. Because of this, utilitarianism is grounded in the foundational value of happiness. All instrumental values derive their worth from foundational values; therefore, anything that promotes happiness is valuable. Foundational values can explain other prescriptive claims or value claims. Under utilitarianism, any claims that are correctly made are those that are…