Utilitarianism And Its Moral Value - 1389 Words

Utilitarianism is a theory that delineates the bounds of morality with respect to actions taken by individuals in terms of what produces the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. The principle seeks to define first the morality of an action, allowing for the morality of a person to be derived based on the intent behind the respective action. The fundamentals of a person’s morality are then presented in a form that labels the person behind a morally defined action as either praiseworthy or blameworthy, a conclusion based directly on the intent behind an action. The central concept behind utilitarianism, happiness, requires that there be an objective fact of the matter about how much happiness exists. Before defining happiness, instrumental and intrinsic value must also be introduced, as they are necessary concepts for defining the relationship between an action and its moral value. Instrumental value revolves around a certain â€Å"anything’s† usefulness in seeing a process through completion, while a certain â€Å"anything’s† intrinsic value stems from existential value alone. For example, a pair of glasses’ instrumental value comes from its usefulness in allowing a person to see clearly, while happiness itself is the certain â€Å"anything† with intrinsic value. As such, happiness exists as a plausible measure in defining the morality behind an action. If happiness is the only â€Å"anything† that has value simply in and of itself, then measuring total net happinessShow MoreRelatedEthics Vs . Kantian Ethics1249 Words   |  5 Pagesthought that would best govern human decision making. Two prominent ethical theories that arose were utilitarianism and deontological ethics. Both ethical theories developed to establish and justify a set of different moral rules and principles. Utilitarianism, otherwise known as consequentialism, is an ethical theory that sees the best moral decision is one that maximizes utility, which implies that no moral decision is intrinsically right or wrong. Deontological ethics or Kantian ethics is a normativeRead MoreThe Moral Theory Of Utilitarianism1725 Words   |  7 PagesNumerous moral theories have surfaced in the past years. They have been widely debated by philosophers and social reformers. It is important to understand what these theories are because of their influential tendencies in the way people act, especially in making morally right or wrong decisions. Utilitarianism is one of these many moral theories. Upon further analysis, prob lems with utilitarian thoughts are revealed. It has been widely debated by many philosophers, including G.E. Moore and ImmanuelRead MoreThe Similarities and Differences Between Different Ethical Theories651 Words   |  3 PagesSimilarities and Differences in Ethics: The main aim of any ethical theory is to do what is right and good since it involves moral rules or acting based on specific ethical values. In certain cases, the right and good as well as the ethical rules and values are sometimes common to various ethical theories. Even though ethical theories have different reasons for application, there is an overlap in these theories that result in similar conduct in an ethical situation. There are various ethical theoriesRead MoreUtilitarianism, By John Stuart Mill1365 Words   |  6 Pages In John Stuart Mill’s book Utilitarianism, he argues for the defense of utilitarianism, an age old theory originally developed by Jeremy Bentham that states the proper course of action is the one that maximizes happiness. The course of action that maximizes general happiness is also the only true standard for moral assessment. Mill also introduces the idea of ‘first principle’ which states that it is not acceptable for individuals to ch aracterize actions as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’, because it isRead MoreUtilitarianism : Theory And Contemporary Issues1350 Words   |  6 Pagesof utilitarianism provides a solution to this but at what cost? What are the benefits and disadvantages of utilitarianism? Is utilitarianism an idea one should live by? What is utilitarianism? I plan on answering these questions within this paper and understand how they relate to everyday life. I will also look at arguments for and against utilitarianism. Then analyze the appealing and unappealing features to determine if utilitarianism should be followed as an absolute rule. Utilitarianism canRead MoreConsequentialism And Consequentialism : Virtue Ethics, Consequentialism, And Deontology1200 Words   |  5 Pagesbased on various criteria such as obligation, human rights, and virtue. More precisely, it is a development and establishment of one’s moral principle. And under the normative ethics, there are three categories of ethical frameworks: virtue ethics, consequentialism, and deontology. In this essay, I will more concentrate on consequentialism, especially utilitarianism, and deontology to make compare and contrast analysis of each other and how each case works differently and causes divergent result inRead MoreEssay about Eth 316 Week 1764 Words   |  4 Pages2013 Tammy Matthews Introduction Utilitarianism, deontological, and virtue theory ethics are three normative approaches to ethics. This paper will go over the similarities and differences between virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological principles. It will include information of the variations in how each concept details ethics, morality, and it will also discuss a personal experience to describe the correlation between virtue, values, and moral perceptions as they relate to one ofRead MoreUtilitarianism And The Political And Economic Aspects Of Development1493 Words   |  6 PagesUtilitarianism in the political and economic aspects of development has been widely recognized and human social practice plays a huge impact. But the utilitarian always at the place of criticism, misunderstanding. People tend to equate utilitarianism simply with individualism. In fact, the means of utilitarianism not only consider a behaviour and motivation, and to emphasize life purpose should emerge to the scope of his own h appiness, to care about other people s happiness and the improvement ofRead MoreDescribe the Main Principles of the Two Normative Ethical Theories of Deontology and Utilitarianism. Compare and Contrast the Two Theories, Bringing Out Any Problems or Limitations You See in Each.1652 Words   |  7 PagesDescribe the main principles of the two normative ethical theories of 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* Read MoreUtilitarian Arguments1681 Words   |  7 Pagesit may be, sacrificing the few for the good of the many. Utilitarian moral theories evaluate the moral worth of action on the basis of happiness that is produced by an action. Whatever produces the most happiness in the most people is the moral course of action. I will give the best arguments against Utilitarianism, and show in my own opinion, why I think they are wrong. The strongest counterargument against Utilitarianism would have to be Sterling Harwood’s eleven objections to the theory.