...INTRODUCTION In ethics, consequentialism is explain that an action should be judged right or wrong on the basis of their consequences. Consequentialism theory is also known teleological moral theories. Which teleological word is from Greek ” Telos”,means “end” and ” logos” means “science”. This theory of morality derives duty or moral obligation from what is good or desirable as an end to be achieved. This general approach can be applied at different levels to different normative properties of different kinds of things, but the most prominent example is consequentialism about the moral rightness of acts, which holds that whether an act is morally right depends only on the consequences of that act or of something related to that act, such as the motive behind the act or a general rule requiring acts of the same kind. ( www. plato.stanford.edu) Consequentialist, have two major theories that is ethical egoism and utilitarianism. Both these theories agree that human beings ought to behave in ways that will bring about good consequences. They differ, however, in that they disagree on who should benefit from these consequences. The ethical egoist essentially says that human beings ought to act in the interest of all concerned. ( Jacques P. Thiroux , Keith W. Krasemann) The rough idea behind ethical egoism is that the right thing to do is to look out for own self-interest. That’s mean we are morally required only to make ourselves as happy as possible and have...
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...Sciences “UTILITARIANISM” A Term Paper in Philospohy 12 (Moral Philosophy) SUBMITTED TO: Karen Acoba Instructor SUBMITTED BY: Joanne Marie B. Sanchez, BS BIO I – A 11:30 – 1:00 pm TTH March, 2016 Introduction “What is right and wrong?” Every day we ask that question, whether in simple situations like choosing a dress to wear in a party, or complicated ones like judging a supposed criminal. It guides our decisions, and helps to get better hold of our actions. In the field of Philosophy, the rightness or wrongness of a moral action is also a vital topic. This topic is termed as Normative Ethics – The study of ethical action. It is the branch of philosophical ethics that investigates the set of questions that arise when considering how one ought to act, morally speaking. Theories like Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative, and Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism are some of the Normative Ethics theories. In this study, we will discuss about Utilitarianism. With the objectives of: simplifying a complicated Philosophical theory for students, and understanding deeply the principles of Utilitarianism. Discussion Utilitarianism is mainly characterized by two elements: happiness and consequentialism. Utilitarian happiness is the biggest happiness which (supposedly) every human being looks for. In utilitarianism everything useful to happiness is good. Therefore, the name of the doctrine is utilitarianism, based...
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...Consequentialism or Justice An important role in defining justice is the concept of right. Hooker (2011), " A consequentialist theory that presupposes both that justice is constituted by such-and-such and that justice is one of the things to be promoted does not explain why the components of justice are important.” (para. 12). This paper is a reflection of Team’s D thoughts about Chapter 5, “Consequentialism or Justice.” The consequentialism theory is a decision of an individual who will cause a greater good for all. An individual should take the complete relating information and consider every possible option that will provide a decision that will provide every person with greater good. The decision should not affect just one person, or a small group, but each client. At a sleepover party, a rule of not playing with fire should not be set for just one child. The rule should be set for every child in the house because fire is harmful. Every child will benefit from the rule. Distributive justice is the assistance that every human has an equal chance. It provides an ability to help make sure every person has goods equal to others, for the greater good. The goods are not meant to be materialistic, they are meant to be for safety and health for healthy living. The theory intersects with Tamara’s personal value because where Tamara lives, she sees a community that lives by social justice. Many in the neighborhood make informal contracts among each other and use the...
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...This includes sentient non-human animals, who suffer in animal testing, and whose suffering should be taken into account when calculating the total sum of happiness. Even so, Bentham made it clear that he accepted the killing of animals for food or in self-defense, provided that there was no uneccessary suffering on the animal’s part. He also did not object to medical testing in animals, provided that the experiment had a benefit to humanity and was reasonably achievable. So under the utilitarianism thoery, medical testing in animals is ethically just given that the animals’ suffering is as low as possible while still beneficial to...
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...Utilitarianism, Ethical Egoism, and Moral Relativism Tom Gardner Ethics is a branch of philosophy that attempts to answer the questions; what’s right? What’s wrong? And why? Moral relativism is an ethics position that essentially states that people have disagreeing moral beliefs and therefore you must but tolerant of other's morals. This position leads to the problematic realization that if this is the case there can be no objective moral truths nor can there be any universal principles. Act utilitarianism and ethical egoism are two different ethics theories that attempt to respond to this challenge of moral relativism in different ways. Ethical egoism attempts to respond to the challenge of moral relativism by justifying that there is a universal principle for what actions are right and what are wrong. It is a form of consequentialism, which means it looks solely at the consequences of action to see if it is right or wrong. The defining sentence of egoism is as follows, “What's good for you is right and what's bad for you is wrong.” This phrase can be interpreted in a number of ways, the most popular one being: every person should act in their own self-interest. This means that when deciding on whether an action is good, any effect on others (mental or physical) by said action has no merit. An egoist that is measuring or justifying an action's goodness is only examining the possible positive or negative effects this action will have on him. The majority of the justification...
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...Nikki Jackson Colorado Technical University Online Dr. Pradeep Goel July 10th, 2014 One might ask what is utilitarianism? Utilitarianism is defined as “the belief that a morally good action is one that helps the greatest number of people” (Merriam-Webster, 2014). Ethics utilitarianism derives from consequentialism; therefore with that in mind simple utilitarianism “an action is right or wrong according to whether it maximizes the net balance of pleasure over pain in the universe” (Merriam-Webster, 2014). There are two forms of consequentialism. The first one is classical utilitarianism and it determines the benefits from a decision or action. The second is rule consequentialism which makes the rules or guidelines that would create happiness or pleasure that is derived from a decision or action (Morris, 2014, p. 29-32). In 2010, President Obama created the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) which was created to ensure that all Americans had healthcare insurance. Currently there are 44 million American’s without healthcare insurance. When creating the ACA President Obama had utilitarianism in mind because he put forth the “maximization of the net utility expected for all parties affected by a decision.” (Morrison, 2014, p. 29-32) The ACA is a good example of utilitarianism, and President Obama’s intentions are in helping the greatest number of people for the greater good; however, there are still drawbacks that need to be taken into account. A majority...
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...listed. One section on each chart has been filled in as an example. Mr. Knighton, I tried my best and I kept getting confused. This is what I have so far. What is good? (1–2 sentences) Aristotle – Virtue Ethics | Mill – Utilitarianism | Kant – Deontology | Consequentialism | Noddings – Care Ethics | For Aristotle, good is “every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim.” (Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1) | For J.S. Mill, decreasing pain and increasing pleasure is good. However, not all pleasure is the same. Mill argues that intellectual pleasures are superior to bodily pleasures (Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapter 2). | For Kant, good will is exercised by acting according to moral duty/law. Moral law consists of a set of maxims, which are categorical in nature – we are bound by duty to act in accordance with categorical imperatives. | Good is a morally right act (or omission from acting) is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. | | What path or rule do you follow to achieve the good? (1–2 sentences) Aristotle – Virtue Ethics | Mill – Utilitarianism | Kant – Deontology | Consequentialism | Noddings – Care Ethics | For Aristotle, virtue is the way to achieve the good. Moral virtue is a state of character and can only be acquired by habit. In other words, we need to practice being morally virtuous in order to be...
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...found. Having to Sacrifice One to Save a Dozen More There will always be difficult conclusions that have to be made with people that work in the medical field. There will always be instances where sacrifices have to be made to save the lives of others. Introduction The appropriate action for this scenario is the ethical theory of utilitarianism. The main point of utilitarianism is to maximize serviceableness. When one makes a choice regarding a certain course of action, and one needs to exhaust the decision that will give the largest good for the largest amount of individuals. To do this, one can’t only think about themselves, one must think of all individuals that are involved. Every person that is injured or can prosper from this decision has to be examined so that precise evaluation of the end decision can be made. What is the appropriate action for this scenario? In addition, from an ethical point of view, several individuals think that all types of actions are acceptable as long as the profits are larger than costs; however, this isn’t the case at all. The main idea of utilitarianism is to locate the best decision that will augment or produce the largest net benefit once everything has been taken into consideration; there will be strictly one correct option to choose. The correct option will be the option that has the largest benefits. Within this scenario, the scout leader and his scouts, would you say it is a wiser decision to...
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...utilitarianism 1. Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism, which states that the consequences of any action are the only standard of right and wrong. This view can be contrasted or combined with virtue ethics which holds virtue as a moral good. Some believe that one's intentions are also ethically important. Singer did account for if bob would have saved the boy then there would be no car yes, but I also think there would have been a way for bob to save the boy as well as save the car as well. 2. Utilitarianism is distinctly different from other forms of consequentialism such as egoism as it considers all interests equally. Proponents of utilitarianism have been split about whether individual acts should conform to utility or whether agents should conform to ethical rules. Utilitarian’s additionally remain split about whether utility should be calculated as an aggregate (total utilitarianism) or an average (average utilitarianism). 3. Utilitarian moral theories purport to be in favor of maximizing the well-being of all concerned. In accordance with this principle, several of an agent’s values must receive protection while practicing any form of utilitarianism, considering protection of human rights to be conducive to human well-being. Autonomy would seem to be one such value. In utilitarian theory, however, autonomy appears to have its value only in its existence as a means to the greater end of well-being. This observance raises the question of whether or not a utilitarian...
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...6. What is Consequentialism? Explain/Define the following varieties of the term: A. Utilitarianism B. Hedonistic C. Endamonic D. Aesthetic E. Altruistic • Consequentialism is a theory of right, which takes the requirement to pick the act with the best upshot as the sole obligation. • Consequentialism holds that an action is morally right if, and only if, the action has one of the best overall consequences. In the absence of a “tie,” there will only be one right action; this action is morally required and other actions are morally forbidden. A. Utilitarianism • Utilitarianism is consequentialism coupled with a specific theory of good, welfarism. • Utilitarianism holds that an action is morally right if, and only if, the action has the consequences with (one of) the greatest overall amount of well-being. • In other words, utilitarianism holds that an act is right if, and only if, the action has one of the best consequences from the utilitarian point of view. B. Hedonistic • To a HEDONIST, happiness is having all the pleasure one can obtain. • Everyone deserves as much pleasure as possible. • Pleasure is automatically good. • No amount of pleasure is ever too much. • The absence of pleasure is a misfortune for which compensation is due. C. Eudaemonic • Not a whole philosophical system, only an ethical system • Eudaemonistic: Directed toward happiness; Spiritual directedness toward the...
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...self-interest. It differs from psychological egoism, which claims that people can only act in their self-interest. Ethical egoism also differs from rational egoism, which holds that it is rational to act in one's self-interest. Ethical egoism contrasts with ethical altruism, which holds that moral agents have an obligation to help others. Egoism and altruism both contrast with ethical utilitarianism, which holds that a moral agent should treat one's self with no higher regard than one has for others as egoism does, by elevating self-interests and the self to a status not granted to others, but that one also should not as altruism does sacrifice one's own interests to help others' interests, so long as one's own interests (i.e. one's own desires or well-being) are substantially equivalent to the others' interests and well-being. Egoism, utilitarianism, and altruism are all forms of consequentialism, but egoism and altruism contrast with utilitarianism, in that egoism and altruism are both agent-focused forms of consequentialism (i.e. subject-focused or subjective), but utilitarianism is called agent-neutral (i.e. objective and impartial) as it does not treat the subject's (i.e. the self's, i.e. the moral "agent's") own interests as being more or less important than the interests, desires, or well-being of others. Ethical egoism has two flaws which can be seen. The first is that it does not consider moral duties or any prima facie goods beyond personal happiness...
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...perspective in The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals that is founded on his belief that the worth of man is inherent in his skill to reason. John Stuart Mill holds another belief as presented in the book, Utilitarianism, which is seemingly conflicting with the thoughts of Kant. What is most unique about the ethics of morality is the idea of responsibilities to particular individuals. According to both Mill and Kant, moral obligations are not fundamentally particularistic because they are rooted in universal moral principles. Both philosophers have made great impacts in their niche areas in the field. An analysis of their theories may help develop a better understanding of them and their theories. Mill holds an empiricist theory while Kant holds a rationalist theory. Kant explains morality through forms that he believes are essential to free and sensible judgment. Mill’s utilitarian approach is a form of consequential theory because the rightness or wrongness of an act is determined by the outcomes. Kant’s ethics of duty is the foundation for his categorical imperative, which gives the basis for his universal duty based theory. Mill’s theory of utilitarianism is the main structure of consequentialism. John Stuart Mill, who made utilitarianism the subject of one of...
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...Ethics in Medicine: The Moral Compass Introduction to Health Care 02/16/15 Morals are the compass each of us have inside of us that help us to make decisions. They guide towards good and evil, or right and wrong. The thing that makes morals so unique and interesting is that no two compasses are exactly the same just as no two people are the same. The health care industry is probably one of the most praised and criticized industries for its moral compass. If we look solely at the topic of abortion from a moral standpoint the spectrum of beliefs is very wide. This paper will discuss four different moral principles and compare them. The first moral principle is beneficence. Beneficence is defined as “acts of mercy, kindness, and charity.”(1) It can also mean to, “Refer to an action done to benefit others”(1). In terms of medicine this means to do all that you can do to your patients. This principle is unique because how do you define what a benefit to another is. For example physician assisted suicide for example is a benefit to the person who is ill. But what is the benefit to the child or parent whom is left behind. Let’s say someone has ALS, the prognosis is terminal. They are going to die from this disease because the fluid will continue to build in their lungs and eventually they will stop breathing. Now if that person who is suffering tremendously with their illness can benefit and not suffer anymore isn’t the physician helping them? Or is the physician...
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...deontology and utilitarianism. Compare and contrast the two theories, bringing out any problems or limitations you see in each. Bioethics Essay • Intro: Define ethics and define and introduce the two theories. (philosophical theories…) • Utilitarianism- example • Deontology- example- compare • comparing- evaluating and critically analyzing*- similarities and differences. • Limitations and positives* • Conclusion- summary of essay and own opinion, remember to justify your own views with reasons – don’t just state your opinions without arguing for them in terms of moral values. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-deontological/#DeoTheKan http://www.slideshare.net/kljonz/individual-ethics-essay-1 There are two major ethics theories that attempt to specify and justify moral rules and principles; these are utilitarianism and deontological ethics. Utilitarianism (also known as consequentialism) is a moral theory developed and refined in the modern world in the writings of Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873).(1) Deontology is a ??? theory developed from the eighteenth century philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). The theory utilitarianism is the morality of an act that is judged by it’s utility. The greatest utility that is has for the most people; the greatest usefulness an act has for the most people. Utilitarianism states morality...
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...Martha Nussbaum is known for her views on Virtue Ethics. She believes that Virtue Ethics are an alternative perspective rather than an opposition towards Deontology and Consequentialism. Utilitarianism is a type of consequentialism, which refers to the belief that a moral action should be carried out without any exceptions. For example, killing out a person of self-defense is wrong according to Utilitarianism because killing a person is an immoral act. Virtue Ethics can be defined as an approach that emphasizes an individual's character as the key element of ethical thinking. It involves a person rationally trying to achieve moral excellence as the ultimate goal. It differs from Deontology, which is rule-based, regarding whether or not a...
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