...Critically assess the view that utilitarianism is of no use when making decisions about sexual ethics. (35 marks) Utilitarianism is a theory mainly derived and developed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stewart Mill. Bentham was headanistic and stated that happiness consisted of pleasure minus pain. This essentially is what makes the ethical theory difficult to use when making decisions about sexual ethics as everyone’s ideas of pain and pleasure varies therefore it is hard to come to a solid decision, especially as sexual acts mostly involve more than one person, this can cause conflict. However, It would not be fair to say that Utilitarianism is of no use at all when making decisions about sexual ethics as it can provide a useful tool when considering such issues in some cases. Although, it seems that if ‘use’ is taken to mean the clarity of decision making in a practical sense, Natural Law would be a better alternative on matters such as contraception as more of a clear response would be provided. A theory’s usefulness depends on your definition. Thus, with different definitions, Utilitarianism’s use can change. One important area of sexual ethics is the issue of contraception. A utilitarian approach may be considered of use when applied to the subject of contraception, when use is defined as fitting in to modern society. Utilitarianism considers the maximising happiness and minimising pain for the maximum number. It must consider the consequences of an action. It can be...
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...I found that I can identify myself with utilitarianism. Utilitarianism refers to how one come to choose an action or choice based on what is right and what is wrong. It refers that a person chooses something to be right if what is chosen brings or increases happiness to that person and to other people. Utilitarianism is against the idea of being selfish. Something is wrong if it brings pain to the person or if it causes pain to others. So with utilitarianism there is emphasis on the interests of others as much as there need for the person making the decision to benefit. On top of what have been said utilitarianism is also based on the principle of utility. The principle of utility states that a rational person does something that brings the most satisfaction or benefit. In my life I like to do things that please not only me but others. I avoid things that are likely to bring displeasure to other people. As a religious person I grew with the idea of putting other people’s interests as much as mine. I do not like to do things that hurt other people. The question of utility to me is very important. I did Economics at high school, where we learned about the essence of maximising satisfaction. This satisfaction can be to me, to my family, to other people in the community or to my country When you use utilitarianism, there are basic steps a person may take in making decisions or on choosing what one has to do or not to do. One needs to assess the level of benefits as compared to the...
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...Outline important concepts of Utilitarianism. (21) Utilitarianism is a theory which denotes actions that are right and wrong from there consequences. There are three types of Utilitarianism, act, rule and preference. Act Utilitarianism was initially developed by the theorist and psychological hedonist, Jeremy Bentham who believed that our main aim in life was to achieve 'happiness' and avoid 'pain'. He wanted to produce a different approach to moral decision making to suit the advancing society of the industrial age and argued that "natural rights is simple nonsense".This principle focuses on the individual action and the consequences that come with it. His moral rule was the 'Principle of Utility' which clearly stated that we should aim to achieve the 'greatest good for the greatest number', therefore he equated moral goodness with happiness. Bentham then created the 'hedonic calculus' to measure happiness and show the process for making moral decisions; it included seven key criteria: intensity, duration, certainty, extent, remoteness, richness and purity. Overall, the calculus gave the principle reason and allowed people to understand what was classed as a morally correct act in terms of 'happiness'. Considering the consequences of an action is a sensible approach which is not outgrown by society as it's flexible and can be applied to any situation under any circumstances; however, the fact that it is so flexible and that there are very few solid rules means that it's...
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...Theory of Justice Analysis Michael Lemke 532 February 20, 2012 Scott Schoellkopf Theory of Justice Analysis People need to know what crime analysis is to ensure that the current justice analysis is in place to discuss the theory of justice. An emerging field in law enforcement is crime analysis. A criminal justice agency new to criminal analysis may have difficulties in determining its main focus. Crime analysis is the breaking point for people who commit acts in violation of laws. Philosophy and ethics comes into play to deal with fairness in the theory of justice analysis. This paper will begin with an explanation of some of the principles in how the theories differ from traditional utilitarianism. The second part of this paper will continue with the explanation of how modern criminal justice agencies and other entities define justice. This paper will conclude with how security defines justice. The state of nature from the political theorists of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau states that men were under the assumption of only thinking about themselves, and they did dedicate themselves to their own interests. “Hobbes proposed an autocracy that protects its citizens through its very existence, leaving them no enforceable rights; Locke advanced a liberal regime in which life, liberty, and property are kept safe from governmental discretion, as they are seen as natural human characters; and Rousseau saw politics itself as a remedy for the discontents of private...
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...Examine the features of Utilitarianism which make it appealing to many. One feature of utilitarianism which makes it attractive to many is the initial appearance of rationality behind each argument. It seems to be similar to an ordinary humans’ way of making decisions. For each alternative course of action, we measure the benefits of pursuing it), we look at the costs and we weigh the benefits against the costs. Then, following this our choice is made usually based upon which factor has the most benefits compared to drawbacks. It seems the simplest and most rational way of making quick decisions, and is relatively easy to do. This essentially highlights how practical Utilitarianism appears to be. Roughly speaking, it assesses the question of what to do in terms of what we want to achieve and chooses the way in which it would be best achieved. Utilitarianism takes no past or future preference into consideration, and deals solely on an individual level. Another aspect of the ‘practicality’ of utilitarianism is the fact that in assessing the rightness and wrongness of actions, we are meant to look only at their consequences and not try to get into the mind of the agent to assess her motives. Utilitarianism also has the merit of being quite simple and easy to understand, at least at a theoretical level. Instead of recognising a wide range of different goals, which need to be weighed against one another, which often takes a long period of time, a single goal is taken as...
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...Utilitarianism "According to act-utilitarianism, it is the value of the consequences of the particular act that counts when determining whether the act is right. Bentham's theory is act-utilitarian, and so is that of J.J.C. Smart. One objection to act-utilitarianism is that it seems to be too permissive, capable of justifying any crime, and even making it morally obligatory, if only the value of the particular consequences of the particular act is great enough. Another objection is that act-utilitarianism seems better in theory than in practice, since we hardly ever have the time and the knowledge to predict the consequences of an act, assess their value, and make comparisons with possible alternative acts. Modern act-utilitarians think that these objections can be met. Others have developed alternatives to act-utilitarianism, e.g. rule-utilitarianism, and other forms of indirect utilitarianism." The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy ed. Thomas Mautner Ethical principle according to which an action is right if it tends to maximize happiness, not only that of the agent but also of everyone affected. Thus, utilitarians focus on the consequences of an act rather than on its intrinsic nature or the motives of the agent Classical utilitarianism is hedonist, but values other than, or in addition to, pleasure (ideal utilitarianism) can be employed, or — more neutrally, and in a version popular in economics — anything can be regarded as valuable that appears as an object of rational...
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...Utilitarianism is a theory that some people adhere to the belief that the moral significance of an action is determined by its outcome. They believe that the greatest pleasure of the greatest number of people should be the result of the action that you make which will render it morally right. Jeremy Bentham was an ionic philosopher who believed 'an act is right or good if it produces pleasure and evil if it leads to pain'. Principle of utility is the measure of the usefulness of the purpose, that any action may have. If we believe that the best or the most moral action we can perform is one that will cause consequences X or Y to come about, then utilizing the principle of utility we must assess how likely action A or B will be participating to the consequence. Prima facie obligations are conditional more duties and a persons obligations to fulfil that moral duty depending on the situation at hand, e.g. if a fathers daughter was in a life threatening situation alongside another man who has the cure to cancer, he can only save one person, the moral decision the father would take is save his daughter, however that would be wrong because the other guy has the potential to save more people. 'Greatest good for the greatest number' is a quote Bentham followed. This quote implies an action should be done if it causes happiness for the majority, for example lying is moral if it leads to future happiness. Hedonic Calculus is a theory created by Bentham...
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...Outline important concepts of Utilitarianism. (21) Utilitarianism is a theory which denotes actions that are right and wrong from there consequences. There are three types of Utilitarianism, act, rule and preference. Act Utilitarianism was initially developed by the theorist and psychological hedonist, Jeremy Bentham who believed that our main aim in life was to achieve 'happiness' and avoid 'pain'. He wanted to produce a different approach to moral decision making to suit the advancing society of the industrial age and argued that "natural rights is simple nonsense".This principle focuses on the individual action and the consequences that come with it. His moral rule was the 'Principle of Utility' which clearly stated that we should aim to achieve the 'greatest good for the greatest number', therefore he equated moral goodness with happiness. Bentham then created the 'hedonic calculus' to measure happiness and show the process for making moral decisions; it included seven key criteria: intensity, duration, certainty, extent, remoteness, richness and purity. Overall, the calculus gave the principle reason and allowed people to understand what was classed as a morally correct act in terms of 'happiness'. Considering the consequences of an action is a sensible approach which is not outgrown by society as it's flexible and can be applied to any situation under any circumstances; however, the fact that it is so flexible and that there are very few solid rules means that it's...
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...Shaw and Barry distinguish two forms of utilitarianism. What are these two forms? Briefly describe each. Utilitarianism is the idea that we should always act to produce the greatest possible balance of good over bad for everyone affected by our actions. Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, both philosophers, used the utilitarian standard to evaluate and criticize the social and political institutions of their day. And, as a result, utilitarianism has long been associated with social improvement. The two forms of utilitarianism are act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism, utilitarianism in its most basic version, states that we must calculate what the consequences are of a particular act in a particular situation, and what it will be for all those affected. And, if its consequences bring more total good than those of any alternative course of action, then this action is the right one and the one we should inform. Rule utilitarianism maintains that the utilitarian standard should be applied not to individual actions but to moral codes as a whole. The rule utilitarian asks what moral code, or set of morals, a society should adopt to maximize happiness. The principles that make up that code would then be the basis for distinguishing right actions from wrong actions. Same as any other theory, these theories can be thought to contain flaws- i.e. not being able to predict the future and this uncertainty can lead to unexpected results making the utilitarian...
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...present when a fraud occurs. These conditions include an incentive or pressure that provides a reason to commit fraud (personal financial problems or unrealistic performance goals), an opportunity for fraud to be perpetrated (weaknesses in the internal controls), and an attitude that enables the individual to rationalize the fraud. At the organizational level, leadership, organizational culture and management control systems form the three points of the organizational fraud triangle (Free, Stein &Macintosh). Create and describe two strategies for addressing the situation at hand. Individualism and Utilitarian An individualistic approach to ethical decision-making lies in stark contrast to two other approaches, care ethics and utilitarianism. Under this strategy people have more of an independent state of mind. Care ethics focuses on our interdependence, arguing that ethical decisions should focus on helping the most vulnerable in a group....
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...Utilitarianism Overview 1. Fundamental Tenets of Utilitarianism 2. Standards of Utility/History of Utilitarianism 3. The Utilitarian Calculus 4. Act and Rule Utilitarianism 5. Criticisms of Utilitarianism 6. Concluding Assessment Basic Insights of Utilitarianism n The purpose of morality is to make the world a better place. n Morality is about producing good consequences, not having good intentions n We should do whatever will bring the most benefit (i.e., intrinsic value) to all of humanity. n The Purpose of Morality n The utilitarian has a very simple answer to the question of why morality exists at all: – The purpose of morality is to guide people’s actions in such a way as to produce a better world. n Consequently, the emphasis in utilitarianism is on consequences, not intentions. Fundamental Imperative nThe fundamental imperative of utilitarianism is: Always act in the way that will produce the greatest overall amount of good in the world. –The emphasis is clearly on consequences, not intentions. The Emphasis on the Overall Good n We often speak of “utilitarian” solutions in a disparaging tone, but in fact utilitarianism is a demanding moral position that often asks us to put aside self-interest for the sake of the whole. n Utilitarianism is a morally demanding position for two reasons: – It always asks us to do the most, to maximize utility, not to do the minimum. ...
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...Ethical Relativism Vs. Utilitarianism Last time we saw Jim, he was returning from a day hike through the rainforest in South America. Unfortunately, he was captured by government troops along with rebel fighters who were being detained for execution. Fortunate enough for him, the government commander put Jim in a life changing situation, kill the rebel leader himself and he along with the remaining rebels get let go. If he failed to do so, the commander and his troops will execute all the rebels, sack their village for anything of value, and leave Jim stranded in the rainforest with no supplies, resulting in almost certain death. Through analyzing the theory of ethical relativism, we were able to decide that Jim should in fact kill the rebel leader, but what if we analyze another ethical theory? Will we come up with the same answer as we did before? Or is it possible that through the research of different theories and ideas we can come up with a completely different response to Jim’s unusual predicament? Using a new theory, utilitarianism, or, the idea that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority, we can further analyze why Jim should still kill the rebel leader and why it is a better answer than if we were to use relativism. This paper will describe the ethical theory of utilitarianism in great detail, it will than be applied to Jim’s situation just like before, challenge opposing viewpoints of utilitarianism, refresh ourselves on why we originally...
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...interestedness, and the issues of act of rule. First of all, my personal code of ethics addresses consequentialism by 2 major consequentialists ethical theories which are ethical egoism and utilitarianism. Both of these theories believe that humans should behave in ways that will bring out good consequences. The difference between the two are that they disagree on who should benefit from these consequences. Ethical egoism says that human beings should act in their own self-interest, where utilitarians basically say that human beings should act in interest of all concerned. Now deep into the ethical egoism my code would more address universal ethical egoism because like most other theories it’s universal. An ethical theory that applies to all human beings. This theory does not state only what the individual should do, rather it concerning itself with all human beings should do if they want to be moral. They should act in their own self-interest. On the other hand with utilitarianism is addressed by stating that everyone should perform that act which will bring about the greatest amount of good over bad for everyone affected by the act. The belief is to not believe in setting up rules for action because they feel that each situation and each person are different. Each individual must assess the situation they are involved in and try to figure out which act would bring about the greatest amount of good consequences with the least amount of bad consequences, not just for themselves...
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...2003). If a person offers his blood to some patient in return of some money, then it should be important to analyze the type of consequences. The money or other benefits that he gains or achieves, exclusively meet his needs and produces good results for him. Therefore, from the egoist’s point of view, putting someone’s blood for sale is absolutely ethical and it does not violate any moral implication. The basic concept of Utilitarianism is that every action should be guided by a sense of emotion, focusing on the well-being of others. Utilitarian theory tries to ensure that we should act in such a way that would produce the utmost happiness for all from an overall perspective. Every action must be guided by forecasting the consequence of it. Utilitarianism also argues that human beings are primarily rational. Therefore, it is quite obvious that we will act from a rational perspective rather than from an emotional one. This theory is certainly ambiguous to some extent. The utilitarian holds a dual-fold view. Presenting the basic concept of utilitarianism, he says that if a person sells blood to a patient, then it is not unethical or immoral because the action yields positive and good results in the favor of the well-being of the patient. Some of their other ideas counteract their previous notion. This idea states that the doer might not have an emotional feeling...
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...and pragmatic about workshop Limited goal here: designed to help Business faculty with one specific skill/knowledge area Presumes only most basic knowledge about Ethics The Key Question: What Do You Need to Know To Assess Students’ Knowledge and Application of Ethical Theories? EB EP Copyright Gregory B. Sadler, 2011 What Do You Need to Know To Assess Students’ Knowledge and Application? You need basic understanding of each ethical theory You need to know what to look for in student responses You don’t need to be in agreement with any of these ethical theories You don’t need to know whether these theories are ultimately correct or not You don’t need to be concerned with other “big picture” issues, e.g. the origin of ethics EB EP Copyright Gregory B. Sadler, 2011 What We Are Going To Cover Five Ethical (families of) Theories Each articulates a particular perspective on good and bad, right and wrong Basic Principles / Key Terminology Important Variations in that family What to look for in student responses Knowledge of theory Application of theory EB EP Copyright Gregory B. Sadler, 2011 Five Theories Egoism the self and its needs Utilitarianism overall pleasure and pain for all concerned Deontology duty Care Ethics relationships, vulnerability, and empathy Virtue Ethics character EB EP Copyright Gregory B. Sadler, 2011 Three...
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