Utilitarianism also provides a solution to conflicting duties that Kant's theory not only ignores, but actually renders impossible. Given a choice between stealing or starving, Kant's theory would state that the only moral choice would be to starve, as stealing is always an immoral act. According to utilitarianism, however, as long as the person being stolen from would not starve from the loss, the act of not stealing would actually be immoral; the consequences of the theft would be to stop someone from starving, whereas the consequences of not stealing would result in a death. There is more utility derived from stealing, in this instance, making it a morally correct act. Utilitarianism, rather than relying on the absolutism of Kantian ethics, allows for the many variations of human behavior and circumstance that exist in a given instance. This makes it a far more practical, though also far less altruistic, ethical theory than Kant's, while at the same time rooting the...
This had been one of Kant's main purposes in developing his own theory of ethics, but ironically it seems as though the utilitarian theory developed by Mill is even more rationally based.
Org 2010). Such direct contact is definitely preferable to the distribution of anti-union literature; the ability an willingness to actually discuss issues with employees rather than simply providing them with printed statements that cannot be engaged in a dialogue shows an empathy and a desire to address issues that pamphlets and fliers cannot put forth (ABC.org 2010). Such actions would also undermine the solidarity of labor, causing larger problems for
Happiness: Narratives From Dana and Chris The discussion in this paper provides two perspectives on the topic of happiness. Two interviews were conducted on two women, Dana, 33 years old, and Chris, 30 years old. The close proximity of their ages was deliberate, as the author-interviewer would like to have a good comparison of how the two women in their early 30s think about happiness in general, and based on what
Happiness Interviews on Happiness Happiness is a complex topic, with often divergent meanings for different people. This paper explores how two people of vastly different backgrounds view and define happiness. One of the interviewees is a female colleague who works as a nurse for a medical surgical unit; the other is my mother, a 72-year-old mother of three who has been married for 45 years. Although the interviews were slightly different for
Happy Birthday Copyright Copyright law: Happy Birthday Is Bobby Bandleader violating the copyright of Johnny Singstealer? Legal concept(s) According to copyright law, the owner of a copyright has the exclusive right to: "reproduce the work in copies; to prepare derivative works based upon the work; to distribute copies of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending; to perform the work publicly; to display
Happiness Hypothesis I approached Jonathan Haidt's book The Happiness Hypothesis with the same sort of hubris that I tend to exhibit when someone asks me if I like a work of art. I am quite confident that I can point to art that I like, while being less consistently able to tell why I like or don't like a work of art. Similarly, I have been quite confident of my ability
Happiness -- its true value and the right means of achieving it -- has been pondered by many people including Plato and Socrates, Stoics, church fathers and Aristotelians. Philosophers have had different arguments including that happiness is a matter of: faith, passion, reason, pleasure and/or contentment, mind and/or body. Some of them have also argued that happiness is a way of being or feeling. Who is happy? Who are the people who
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