Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is the idea that the right course of action is that which would produce the greatest common good. In the story of Seaman Holmes, for example, the captain orders the seaman to throw several of the male passengers overboard in order to keep the leaky vessel afloat. The crew reluctantly does as told, and the next day the vessel is saved by another ship. The captain and crew, however, violated the law of the sea, which says that the crew should always sacrifice its own life first for the good of the passengers and the ship. In this case, the crew sacrificed some of the passengers in order to keep the ship afloat and everyone else alive. They chose one common goodsurvival of the majority of the passengersbut they went about it in a way that enabled them to sacrifice others rather than themselves, and so there was a trial. The only one to stand for trial instead of fleeing was Seaman Holmes. He acquitted himself nobly by saving a child during the rescue, and this in the eyes of the court was just cause to see mercy granted to him for his ignoble actions in violating the law of the...
…short, the utilitarian worldview is riddled with crueltyit is the captains worldview in the story of Seaman Holmes: those who would preserve their own lives and happiness will sooner sacrifice the life and happiness of others, even in the face of a law that forbids it. Utilitarianism is not a just philosophy or moral framework. It lacks the virtue of the virtue ethics system. It is this lack that Le Guin laments in her story of the Omelas and the people who ignore suffering. Utilitarianism pretends to have moral standing based on utility, but really what is this other than a cop out and diversion…
Utilitarianism and Categorical Imperatives A Comparison of the Theories of Utilitarianism and Categorical Imperatives The principles of Utilitarianism and Categorical Imperatives contradict each other on many fronts. Both provide a rational for making moral decisions, both have benefits and flaws. A compelling argument can be made for each. From my perspective the principal's of Kant exemplify a more ethical way to conduct life. Utilitarianism Utilitarianism as a specific school of thought is generally credited
Today's laws consider human life the highest of all rights. Hence also the ethical difficulty relating to abortion. Although abortion might be the utilitarian course of action; the mother does not have the finances to support a baby: there is no husband; the baby will not have access to his or her basic rights as a person, the ethical viewpoint of many fundamentalists is that it simply cannot be
Lastly, it runs counter to the view that morality is essentially related to the concept of justice. Many critics of this theory argue that, "morality is not based on consequences of actions. Instead, it is based on the fundamental concept of justice" (Lee). In the final analysis, the dilemma in utilitarianism is that it unable to deal with a wide range of moral issue and actins and, as such, tends
Utilitarianism: A Closer Look Utilitarianism is an old political theory. It has been put forth in one form or another by many political philosophers over the years as the basis for a good political system. Epicurus was one of the early proponents of utilitarianism, though he did not call it by that name. However, he did promote the idea that happiness or pleasure was a good indicator of moral decisions. Jeremy
Utilitarianism as it Relates to Sports There are many philosophies that make up the social and political structures of nations around the world. Many of these philosophies can also be applied to sports and sports related activities. The purpose of this discussion is to explore the concept of Utilitarianism. We will begin by defining the philosophy and addressing the beliefs of Utilitarians. We will then discuss how Utilitarian beliefs relate to sports. Utilitarianism Utilitarianism
The satisfaction derived from that is by reason of good will towards the common man and not some universal pleasure felt by all men. But what about pain? Is Mills seems to be stating that happiness is the absence of pain. But is not some pain beneficial? Our reaction to spoiled milk that prevents us from drinking it for example. Wait, perhaps there are levels of pain that need to
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