Essays on Utilitarianism

We've found 522 essays on Utilitarianism

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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
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
Ebenezer Howard

It is said that there were two major inventions in the beginning of the twentieth century; the invention of the airplane, and Ebenezer Howards’ creation of the Garden City. In the 19th century, as a response to extremes of the capitalist order and an alternative …

CapitalismEssay ExamplesUnemploymentUtilitarianismUtopia
Words 1399
Pages 6
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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
Cider House Rules Review

The 1 999 film, “Cider House Rules”, directed by Lease Hailstorm and based on a novel written in 1985 by John Irving, portrays the respective of abortions back when women did not have the right to choose. The movie takes place during World War II …

AbortionHouseMotherPregnancyUtilitarianism
Words 2028
Pages 8
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
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
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
The ideas of classical economists

Dry James Anagram Synopsis The purpose of this work is to examine and understand the main thoughts of prominent economists during the classical period, namely Adam Smith, Thomas Malthusian, David Richard, Jeremy Beneath and John Stuart Mill. It is also included the comparison of ideas …

EconomicsTradeUtilitarianismWealth
Words 2213
Pages 9
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
The Price of Happiness

People all around the world work their hardest to ensure that they have a happy life for them and their families. Happiness as we know cannot be bought with money, but Ben L. Ashcraft states that everything in life comes with a price tag, including …

HappinessMicroeconomicsUtilitarianism
Words 87
Pages 1
Assassination of a Dictator – Justifiable?

Throughout history, there have been many dictators who have ruled with an iron fist. Julius Ceasar of Rome, Joseph Stalin of Russia, Nicolea Ceausescu or Romania, and Adolf Hitler of Germany were – to name a few – famous dictators. Dictators rule countries with absolute …

AssassinationJusticeUtilitarianism
Words 685
Pages 3
Happiness and Veronica S Life

Compare and contrast the female characters in ‘Veronica’ and ‘The Necklace’ Both ‘Veronica’ and The Necklace’ concentrate on the female main character, one of the similarities. However the characters are more different than similar. In ‘The Necklace’ there is Mathilde who desires for wealth and …

HappinessUtilitarianism
Words 1121
Pages 5
Computer Ethic and Privacy

Computers and the world of information technology are advancing quickly in this generation. Moor in his 1985 article “What is Computer Ethics? ” stated that, “Computers provide us with new capabilities and these in turn give us new choices for action”. Hence, arguments about privacy …

ComputerEthicsPrivacyUtilitarianism
Words 627
Pages 3
The Established Views On Abortion

There are many different views on abortion therefore making it a very controversial subject to discuss. The two main views on abortion are the “pro-choice” view and the “pro-life” view as publicised in the article “Abortion: A Moderate View” written by L W. Sumner.  (more…)

AbortionMoralityPregnancyUtilitarianism
Words 44
Pages 1
Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Sacrificing for the Greater Good

Embryos are essentially microscopic human beings. Regardless of what good they may provide to the field of medicine, the ethical controversies surrounding embryonic stem cell research are profound. Stem cells, the cells used by the human body to replenish damaged tissue, are found in both …

BiologyCellsDiseaseStem CellUtilitarianism
Words 1034
Pages 4
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
The Opinions of the Renaissance and Reformation

Throughtout the ages of Europe’s history, society’s views on the education of women has constantly changed. During the Renaissance age, noble women were encouraged to seek an education so they would be able to carry on intellectual conversations at social gatherings. The Reformation brought opinions …

RenaissanceUtilitarianism
Words 572
Pages 3
Ethics of Welfare and Government Assistance

When the topic of welfare is brought into an ethical discussion most individuals would surely see it as an ethical act that genuinely helps those in need. This is true to an extent, but is it possible that welfare does more harm than good? Most …

GovernmentMetaphysicsUtilitarianismWelfare
Words 1473
Pages 6
Utilitarianism Case

 Utilitarianism is the most well-known consequentiality theory of ethics. The most prominent advocates of utilitarianism are John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) and Jeremy Bentham (1748 – 1832). The guiding principle of utilitarianism is the assumption that eventual goal of all human activity is happiness. Experience is …

HappinessMetaphysicsUtilitarianismVirtue
Words 1419
Pages 6
Ethics Final Project

ETHICS FINAL PROJECT 1. Proposed Action Plan: Describe the action plan you proposed at the beginning of the semester. At the beginning of the semester we first had the idea of taking a computer to the asylum to help those people in there to have …

EthicsUtilitarianism
Words 502
Pages 2
Work Place Ethical Dilemma

Work place Ethical Dilemma Brenda Paz BSHS-331 August 25, 2010 Roberto Vara Jr. Work place Ethical Dilemma According to Freeman, S. (2000) Ethics: An introduction to philosophy and practice ethical dilemma is a complex situation that will involve conflicts between moral imperatives. This is also …

Decision MakingEthical DilemmaUtilitarianism
Words 1034
Pages 4
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
Economics Malthus and Mill

The key variables in Thomas Malthusian’ Theory of Population are human population, food production or food supply, and birth & death rates. According to Malthusian, population will always exceed and grow faster than the food supply, leading to periods of overpopulation and famine. He argued …

EconomicsHappinessUtilitarianism
Words 836
Pages 4
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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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