Essays on Utilitarianism

We've found 514 essays on Utilitarianism

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Have Gun, Will Travel…to Work

Question 1: Assume that either the Second Amendment or state law gives you a legal right to keep a gun in your car. Do you also have a moral right to do this? Do you have a moral, not only a legal, right to own …

JusticeUtilitarianismWork
Words 1212
Pages 5
Justice with Michel Sandel

Justice with Michel Sandel Silvia Molina University of Texas at El Paso Justice with Michel Sandel Harvard university professor Dr. Michel Sandel introduces two lecture episodes that discuss a number of philosophy related issues. In the first episode “The Moral Principles” Dr. Sandel begins the …

Essay ExamplesJusticeUtilitarianism
Words 2005
Pages 8
Comparing the Lives and Philosophies of Kant and Mill

Immanuel Kant was born in April 1724 to a craftsman named Johann George Kant and Anna Regina Porter (Bennagen, 2000). He was trained more in Latin and Religion subjects as compared with science and mathematics consequently forming his concepts and ideas with regards to moral …

EthicsJusticeUtilitarianism
Words 1357
Pages 5
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Ethical Treatment of Prisoners

Ethical Treatment of Prisoners Iris J. O’Halloran Soc 120 Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility Brett Cross April 8, 2013 Today there are millions of people in prison throughout the United States; because of this fact the ethical treatment of prisoners is a topic that …

EthicsMoralityUtilitarianism
Words 2751
Pages 11
Reflection Essay on Huck Finn

Daved Najarian American literature II 9:00am Huck, The Duke and Pinocchio One of the primary themes Mark Twain uses throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is that of deception. Twain uses many forms and styles of deception not only to illustrate varying degrees of it, …

DeceptionEssay ExamplesMoralityUtilitarianism
Words 1674
Pages 7
Flight 93 and Utilitarianism in Times of Crisis

On September 11, 2001 United Airlines flights 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It has been theorized that the crash was a result of the passengers trying to regain control after it had been hijacked by four members of the Al Qaeda terrorist …

AgricultureFlightUtilitarianism
Words 60
Pages 1
Virtue Theory In Utilitarianism Ethics

Utilitarianism ethics emphasize that action should be morally beneficial to a group. This course of ethics is often known as “the greatest good for the greatest number” or simply put, “the greater good” (Boylan, 2009). In other words, the consequence of any ethical action should …

EthicsMetaphysicsUtilitarianism
Words 722
Pages 3
Bentham’s Act Utilitarianism can be used in making

Explain how Bentham’s Act Utilitarianism can be used in making moral decisions BY AltceReid20 Jeremy Bentham was a philosopher, economist, atheist and social reformer. Being a social reformer means that Bentham worked to make a gradual change to society. Being an economist meant that he …

ActsHappinessUtilitarianism
Words 1149
Pages 5
Should Yahoo have been forced to turn over Justin Ellsworth’s email to his Parents?

In this essay, I will attempt to analyze the utilitarian and deontological considerations of the issue of should Yahoo had been forced to turn over Justin Ellsworth’s emails to his parents. Individual privacy is most valuable right that people possesses especially; during our time of …

ContractEmailJusticePrivacyUtilitarianismYahoo
Words 861
Pages 4
Happiness Levels and Income Levels

A very popular question in today’s society is whether money can buy happiness. Happiness has been shown to be related to many things. It is found to be related to social class, success, power, health, valued belongings, religious beliefs, companionship, being employed in a secure …

ConfidenceHappinessUtilitarianism
Words 1231
Pages 5
Meat Eating and Animal Abuse in the Article “Puppies, Pigs, and People: Eating Meat and Marginal Cases”

Writing Assignment on Select Article Alastair Norcross, “Puppies, Pigs, and People: Eating Meat and Marginal Cases” Philosophy 2305, Fall 2018 Diana P. Cera I selected the article from Alastair Norcross, “Puppies, Pigs, and People: Eating Meat and Marginal Cases”. The article began with the story …

Animal abuseMeatUtilitarianism
Words 822
Pages 3
Reflection The Boondock Saints

Reflections on “The Boondock Saints” Directions: In three paragraphs write your reflections of the Movie “The Boondock Saints”, answering the following: 1) What are the ethical issues you see in the movie? List several and describe their ethical or moral concern. 2) How does the …

Essay ExamplesMetaphysicsUtilitarianism
Words 346
Pages 2
Can the morally right action be explained as that action which maximizes good?

Introduction To be able to answer this question I must address what is meant by ‘the good’ within this context, as ‘the good’ is the supposed qualifying antecedent of the morally right action, in other words ‘goodness’ reports moral rightness of an action. In this …

Essay ExamplesHappinessMetaphysicsUtilitarianism
Words 1468
Pages 6
Ethical Theories Persuasive Essay

 Introduction Ethics is system of moral principles, the way individuals conduct themselves with respect to the right and wrong of their actions and to the good and bad of any motives and ends of such actions. Ethics are instilled in individuals since they were children …

MetaphysicsTheoriesUtilitarianism
Words 574
Pages 3
The Morality of Zoos

The word zoo is a fairly broad term. Zoos are most commonly thought of as an attraction rather than a means for education. More importantly, they are rarely associated with the survival of the human race. While zoos are a form of entertainment for the …

MoralityUtilitarianismZoo
Words 858
Pages 4
Mr. Burns as Scrooge of Springfield

In the history of modern popular culture, there have been few American satires as influential and successful as the animated television show, The Simpsons.  With Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and baby Maggie living in the everytown of Springfield, U.S.A., they find themselves in many situations …

Essay ExamplesMetaphysicsMoralityUtilitarianism
Words 2428
Pages 9
Externalities in Business

Externalities recently became an important and popular term in the business world, especially with the risen of debates and arguments about the externalities’ costs and benefits, and the ethical issues related to it. Almost everybody deals with an externality everyday but without being aware of …

BusinessMoralityPollutionTaxUtilitarianism
Words 4727
Pages 18
Williams and Utilitarianism

In his critique of Utilitarianism, Williams finds fault in the Utilitarian commitment to maximum utility in that it undermines the integrity of moral agents and denies people the projects and relationships they inherently value. Famously known as his “Integrity Objection”, this proposition is immediately very …

HappinessMetaphysicsUtilitarianism
Words 1492
Pages 6
John Stuart Mill

“Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. Happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain. ” – John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill defines utilitarianism as a theory based on …

EthicsPhilosophyUtilitarianism
Words 921
Pages 4
Argumentative paper

The aim of the paper is to look at the problem of forced elf labor from the viewpoint of the two different moral theories – Kantian and Utilitarian. It is essential to argue, whether forced elf labor is supposed to be moral or immoral in …

AutonomyEssay ExamplesMoralityUtilitarianism
Words 1210
Pages 5
Animals and Their Rights: An Analysis of the Intersection of Human and Animal Geographies

Introduction This paper will discuss the question whether animals have rights or not. It will do so by first addressing the geographies of distinction between humans and animals, and the points at which they intersect. Using this understanding, it will develop an evaluation of the …

AnimalsUtilitarianism
Words 3267
Pages 12
Rule Utilitarianism on Global Warming

Thesis Statement Rule Utilitarianism requires people to have moral responsibility to help reduce global warming. Under the theory of utilitarianism, rule utilitarianism (RU), as a theory of action, views that the right action is based on the good consequences of a rule that is designed …

EthicsUtilitarianismVirtue Ethics
Words 722
Pages 3
Utilitarian Ethics

OPTION “A” Write a ‘contrast’ essay dealing with the major distinction between utilitarian and deontological reasoning. Make reference to all relevant aspects of the two positions including the ‘act’ and ‘rule’ versions along with pertinent examples that clarify your answer. The major distinction between Emmanual …

EthicsMetaphysicsUtilitarianism
Words 764
Pages 3
Should Guardians Be Allowed to Refuse Children the Mmr Vaccine

The theory of Act Utilitarianism The theory of Act Utilitarianism determines whether an action can be considered right or wrong based on the consequential outcome. It also focuses on the fact that an act is right only if it results in maximizing utility in comparison …

ChildrenDiseaseUtilitarianismVaccine
Words 1322
Pages 5
Main Strengths of Mill’s Utilitarianism

A) Explain the main strengths of Mills Utilitarianism? With rule utilitarianism you first have to agree to the general rule then after you apply it to specific cases. Some people see Mill as a rule utilitarian, which means that you act in accordance with those …

MetaphysicsUtilitarianism
Words 1083
Pages 4
Moral and Social Philosophy

Moral philosophy is focused on the habits, customs, and values of a certain individual (Wikipedia, 2007). It has the following sub-categories: meta-ethics; normative ethics; as well as, applied ethics (Wikipedia, 2007). One of the major contributors to this school of thought is Immanuel Kant who …

MetaphysicsMoralityPhilosophyUtilitarianism
Words 1084
Pages 4
A Relativistic View of The Ballad of Narayama

First Position Utilitarianism, a branch of moral realism, is a doctrine that attempts to explain the abstract idea of morality. Consequentialism, a broader basis of utilitarianism, defines an action as being right or wrong by saying that the right act in any moral dilemma is …

EthicsMoralityUtilitarianism
Words 1240
Pages 5
Moral Difficulties Involved in War Reporting

Moral difficulties involved in war reporting contents Introduction Historical perspective on the evolution of journalistic ethics . Ethical Dilemma Should reporters ever leak and/or publish classified information in a time of war? Arguments opposed applying principles of Deontology and Utilitarianism to the ethical dilemma Journalists …

Essay ExamplesJournalismUtilitarianism
Words 3241
Pages 12
Morals and Ethics of Cloning

Regardless of what our future holds, it will be based on the decisions we make today.  Those decisions can be made using the Utilitarian Theory which states that we are doing good for the greatest number of people.  Using Rule Utilitarianism “which maintains that a …

BiologyCloningEthicsNatureUtilitarianism
Words 1703
Pages 7
Fiat Pushes Work Ethic at Italian Plant

Flat which accounts for the evildoer of about 15000 families In the Pangolin D’Art region has Its least productive plant amongst all there. This Is due to the fact of employees misusing work ethics by being absent from work, faking illness and a doctor’s note …

UtilitarianismWorkWork Ethic
Words 666
Pages 3
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Find extra essay topics on Essays on Utilitarianism by our writers.

Utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected individuals.
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Purpose

Utilitarians believe that the purpose of morality is to make life better by increasing the amount of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) in the world and decreasing the amount of bad things (such as pain and unhappiness).


Father

Jeremy BenthamJeremy BenthamBentham defined as the "fundamental axiom" of his philosophy the principle that "it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong." He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism. Jeremy_BenthamJeremy Bentham - was a philosopher, economist, jurist, and legal reformer and the founder of modern utilitarianism, an ethical theory holding that actions are morally right if they tend to promote happiness or pleasure (and morally wrong if they tend to promote unhappiness or pain) among all those affected by them.


Origin

The origins of Utilitarianism are often traced back to the Epicureanism of the followers of the Greek philosopher Epicurus. It can be argued that David Hume and Edmund Burke were proto-Utilitarians. But as a specific school of thought, it is generally credited to the English philosopher Jeremy BenthamJeremy BenthamBentham defined as the "fundamental axiom" of his philosophy the principle that "it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong." He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism. Jeremy_BenthamJeremy Bentham - .


Key features

As explained in Chapter 1: Introduction to Utilitarianism, the core idea of utilitarianism is that we ought to act to improve the well-being of everyone by as much as possible. Utilitarian theories generally share four elements: consequentialism, welfarism, impartiality, and additive aggregationism.

Frequently asked questions

What is utilitarianism in your own words essay?
Utilitarianism is the belief that the best course of action is the one that maximizes utility, or happiness. This can be achieved through a number of means, including providing people with basic needs like food and shelter, or by giving them pleasure. The ultimate goal is to produce the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.
What is the main idea of utilitarianism?
Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that holds that the best course of action is the one that maximizes utility, or happiness. Utility can be defined in many ways, but is usually taken to mean something like pleasure or satisfaction. Thus, the utilitarian strives to promote the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.
Why is utilitarianism important to human being?
Utilitarianism is important to human beings because it is a moral theory that can be used to help us make decisions about what is right and what is wrong. Utilitarianism is based on the idea that the right thing to do is the thing that will produce the most happiness for the greatest number of people. This means that when we are trying to decide what to do, we should try to figure out what will make the most people happy. One of the reasons that utilitarianism is so important is that it takes into account the consequences of our actions. Many other moral theories focus on what our intentions are, but utilitarianism focuses on what will actually happen as a result of our actions. This is important because our intentions don’t always match up with what actually happens. For example, we might intend to help someone, but if our actions end up harming that person, then we have not done the right thing. Another reason that utilitarianism is important is that it is a very practical theory. It can be applied to all sorts of different situations and it can help us to make difficult decisions. Utilitarianism is not a perfect theory, but it can be a helpful tool for making moral decisions.
What is the reflection about utilitarianism?
Utilitarianism is the belief that the most morally good thing to do is the thing that maximizes utility. Utility is often defined as happiness, but it can also be defined as anything that is good for someone. So, a utilitarian would believe that the most morally good thing to do is the thing that will make the most people happy.

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