Utilitarianism

On the other hand, utilitarianism is fundamentally based on examining the consequences of an action. It is about the greatest good for the greatest number of people. If a doctor, for example, recognizes that a patient is going to die if he or she is told the truth, the doctor…

Richard T. DeGeorge defines utilitarianism as, “an ethical theory that holds that an action is right if it produces, or if it tends to produce, the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people affected by the action. Otherwise the action is wrong.” (p. 44). In business, individuals and corporations are faced with many actions or decisions that affect other people and employees. These decisions can be very complicated and can become a “double edged sword” situation for the individual…

happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure.” This quote, by John Stuart Mill, about Utilitarianism embodies my ethical decision making process in a way that Relativism, Deontology or any other ethical system cannot. It is for this reason that I have chosen Utilitarianism as the ethical and moral system I employ in my everyday life. The root of success, the root of anything ‘good’ in this world is happiness, for…

morally justified to do what one must do in order to survive. The novel demonstrates the stages of well-being outlined in the work of professor Stephen Nathanson through the actions and decisions taken by the characters. To begin, many aspects of utilitarianism are displayed through the acts of…

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: Case One: According to Utilitarianism, the net good for all must be achieved. This includes both the quantity and the quality of the good. Moreover, there is a distinct difference between Egoism and Utilitarianism. In the first scenario, the consequences of the young man’s actions will only result in happiness for him. It is happiness of a great quality, however, it ignores the happiness of the 24 men, women, and children. Since the young man only pursues his own good, his…

the founding fathers of Utilitarianism aimed to question moral issues of good and evil by simplifying any quandary to one question, what solutions preserves the most happiness and avoids the most pain to the greater number of people? Problem Bentham Addresses Bentham defines good as what is beneficial, and he defines bad as what is detrimental. Pleasure and happiness are synonymous to good, according to Bentham, as evil and pain relate to bad. Bentham’s Utilitarianism is defined as an…

Legalization of Medical Marijuana and the Doctrine of Utilitarianism Introduction Utilitarianism is one of the moral theories that is best known and influential. According to this theory, the moral worth of an action is mainly determined its contribution towards utility that enhances happiness and pleasure. It is mainly concerned with the pleasure that people get through the moral actions taken. The focus is on the greatest number of people. In the pursuit of this theory, then legalization of…

Well-being and justices sometimes conflict (Fund of Ethics, p.118). Utilitarianism argues that the best life is a life of sacrifice, sometimes extreme. If the motivation is too produce good results, then the action can be extreme. Thus, this is the case with torture. Philosophers have discussed the hypothetical case of the ticking time bomb in which “a decent leader of a nation is plagued with terrorism is asked to authorize the torture of a rebel leader who knows or probably knows the city,…

in many ways. Effectively maximizing profits lucratively, maintaining longevity, and building a name are all important concepts. However, the theory of act utilitarianism states that the only concern that should be given is the concern of maximize happiness. As a Director of Customer Service at YourFace applying the theory of act utilitarianism I would simply allow the third party companies to gather the customer’s info to increase the business profits. Increasing profits is not only a goal…