...to AP Calculus and Art. To my surprise when I received my schedule was that it was not at all what I imagined considering and most important to me was that I did not get Art as I requested. When I met up with Ms. Cruz I was disappointed to find out that there is no space in the World Art 1 classes and she set me up with the second best, service learning for Ms. Feury, the art teacher, for her World Art 2 class. As a shocking a delightful surprise Ms.Feury hesitantly but certainly placed me as a student in her World Art 2 class without me having any previous experience with it. Aside from Art I had...
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...pleasure.’ From this; we are able to add up and compare the amount of pleasure or pain coming from each act we partake in and choose weather it is the right and good thing to do. This calculation can be done through the hedonic calculus, formed of 7 parts. The first is the intensity of the pleasure coming from the act, or the depth of pleasure. The second is the duration of the pleasure, how long it lasts – the pleasure of having a baby and so child would last longer than the pleasure of keeping the job or promotion you may loose, therefore assisting with decisions like abortion. The third is the certainty of pleasure, or uncertainty. Forth is the remoteness of the pleasure, will it directly effect you or effect people far away all over the world – like giving to charity. Then comes the chance of a succession of pleasures, this looks at the consequences of the act, questioning weather this act will continue to have good outcomes or if good could lead to bad. The sixth is the purity of pleasure, how secure the pleasure will be. The final element if the extent of the pleasure, how many people will it effect in a positive or negative way – this element reminds us of the greatest good for the greatest number of people, not just for you as an individual. This calculus gave Bentham a solid way of measuring and quantifying weather an action is morally right or wrong, it allowed him to judge weather the act would result in the most pleasurable outcome having weighed up all of the elements....
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...the decision in the end is considered morally right by others. Which leads to the extensive amount of controversy to ultimately conclude justifications of morally right action. Let’s consider a dilemma where Kelly’s father is terminally ill, and he asks Kelly whether or not she thinks his company will continue on in the family’s consul. Kelly, however, knows well enough that her brothers are going to sell their father’s company. What should she do? What is the morally right choice? According to a few men in philosophical history, there are various strategic approaches available to provide assistance for this very complication. For instance, the Utilitarian approach, ultimately makes decisions based on the maximum turnout of happiness for everyone. Yet, the Kantian approach has established action based on the formula of universal law. However, will these approaches lead one into making the morally right decision? Neither of these approaches will auspiciously lead one into ultimately making the morally right decision. Anyhow, telling the truth no matter the outcome, due to one’s own volition, which is to always be truthful, being honest would be the morally right decision. Despite that, Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory, meaning that the consequences of the action, deem that action right or wrong. Which is considered an advantage of Utilitarianism, because it’s definitely important to consider the resulting consequences when attempting to make morally right decisions, rather...
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...are acceptable as long as they have an outcome of either happiness or pleasure. There are two main types of utilitarianism; Act utilitarianism and Rule utilitarianism. The two main figureheads of modern utilitarianism were Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Jeremy Bentham came up with the idea of the hedonic calculus. This was his system of measuring how good or bad a consequence is. It was also known as the greatest happiness principle. This meant simply that a good action is one that maximises general happiness or minimises pain. A bad action is the opposite of a good action. The hedonic calculus, used to decide whether actions are good or bad goes like this: 1) Its intensity- how intense will the pleasure or pain be? 2) Its duration- How long will it last? 3) Its certainty or uncertainty- How sure can we be that it will follow from our action? 4) Its remoteness- How far away is it in terms of time? 5) Its fecundity- the chance it has of being followed by similar sensations? 6) Its purity- The chance it has of not being followed by opposite sensations? 7) Its extent- To what extent will it affect others? We can use the hedonic calculus for examples such as abortion: 1) Its intensity- The pain of an abortion will be minimal physically but could cause great pain mentally. 2) Its duration- The treatment may only last for a few minutes but the time taken to forget about the abortion will be very long. 3) Its certainty- It is very certain...
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...enough confidence in themselves to develop their skills because they think that they are doing everything in vain. For example, “I can’t handle calculus. Everyone knows I’m the dumbest” (Stand and Deliver). This is a quote from the movie Stand and Deliver, and it shows us that this person can not handle calculus. The reason why is most likely because it is hard for him to understand the concept, except he would rather take the easy way out and give up. In the movie Stand and Deliver, Mr. Escalante, the math teacher, proposed that he would teach a bunch of kids, who didn't go pass 7th grade math, calculus. When the female teacher heard about this during their conference, she was shocked and protested against the idea because she thought that if they try really hard now and doesn't succeed later, it would crush all of their confidence. Moral of the story, although giving up is probably one of the most easiest way to get out of something, it is also another excuse for a person to ignore the fact that they should try harder to understand the...
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...Abortion, the deliberate termination of a pregnancy, has been the subject of discussion and controversy for many decades. Utilitarianism is the chief teleological ethical theory today which considers the consequences of an action; such as abortion. This ethical approach to abortion is useful because it determines that “an action is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number”. It considers the hedonic calculus, designed by Bentham, which weighs up the pleasure and pain generated by the available moral actions; the theory mainly focuses on both pleasure and pain and the ability to maximize pleasure over pain. It also emphasises the ends of abortion over its means; so it judges the rightness of abortion by the end result, possible pleasure, it produces. The views of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill are significant in illustrating the effects of a Utilitarian approach to abortion. Firstly, Bentham’s version of utilitarianism, known as Act utilitarianism, is the most relevant theory to the issue of abortion. His theory remains teleological, using the outcome of an action to determine whether it is good or bad. With abortion being a personal issue, it seems that act utilitarianism is the most adequate theory because it looks at the consequences of an abortion, taking each situation into separate account of all others. This would then enable women who have been raped, for example, to choose whether they go ahead with the birth because they may not be able to...
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...Philosophy 20 Ethics – Final Exam How Does the Virtue Theory Differ from Utilitarianism and Duty Theory? May 29, 2012 Keysha Latrice Gwin West Los Angeles College Philosophy 20 Ethics – Final Exam How Does the Virtue Theory Differ from Utilitarianism and Duty Theory? May 29, 2012 Keysha Latrice Gwin West Los Angeles College Virtue Theory, Utilitarianism and Duty Theory contain the common goal of HAPPINESS! Although they share this common goal the journey in which you reach said happiness bares little similarity. Aristotle’s Virtue Theory states that perfect happiness or Eudemonia is realized by “living the good life”. Aristotle believes that you achieve this state of perfect happiness as a result of a reasoned governed life. Virtue theory focuses on what is good for oneself. Aristotle believed that mankind would blossom by exhibiting good virtues however; everything should be done with moderation. Finding the moderate balance of virtue is a skill that can only be accomplished through Phronesis “practical wisdom”. Virtuous acts lie between the deficiency and excessiveness of virtue itself. Virtue is not a characteristic that a man exhibits by following rules and guidelines set before him; virtuous acts are those that are guided by what the individual agent wants for himself! It asks the question “what type of person do I want to be”. Finding the medium in virtuous acts involves applying the skills of communication, awareness, and knowledge, all of which...
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...discovery of new data and facts. Someone arguing this point may make the point that many useful inventions that we (humans) have today come from an inventor who dared to step outside the norm, and look at a problem differently. One example of an invention is the nuclear reactor. Nuclear power would not exist today if no one had considered fission as a source of energy. Someone who disagrees with the quote in the title of this essay might suggest that without data and facts, new inventions would be impossible. The discovery of new data is what allows scientific and technical progress in all fields. A new set of facts that is in use today, that would be impossible without data or facts, is the fundamental theorem of calculus. One of the main components of calculus is...
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...Bentham’s Act Utilitarianism means that we are all free to pursue what we gain pleasure from in the way which society dictates.This allows us to pursue what we find pleasurable, for example, motor racing or drinking coffee, and removes the less morally acceptable factors such as murder or adultery. Bentham argues pleasure is the sole intrinsic good, and as “everyone to count as one and no-one as more than one” we can add up the total of pleasure minus pain and thereby service an idea of the good act. The Utility gained from each act and what would be accepted by society is calculated by what Bentham called the Hedonic Calculus. This values a score of what people think of certain acts (for example 10 for pleasurable and 1 for not pleasurable) and therefore lets society know which are the more worthwhile pursuits. Bentham’s argument is that we should be free to choose the pleasure maximising outcome, as long as we are not having negative effects on other people’s pleasure. On the other hand Mill disagreed with Betham’s Act Utilitarianism and put forward the notion of Rule Utilitarianism. This argued that the Hedonic Calculus was an absurd way of explaining rational choice and therefore it needed rules. For example meeting up with your friend for coffee would both maximise your and their happiness, whereas breaking that promise would not. However, this is by no means an absolute theory and Mill argued that it was perfectly acceptable to miss an appointment to meet your friend if...
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...Explain the differences between Bentham’s and Mill’s Utilitarianism (25): Utilitarianism is a consequentialist ethical theory as the consequence of an action or rule is the main principle to judge whether an action is right or wrong. Act Utilitarianism is a teleological theory which was designed by Bentham, states that the act which produces the most pleasure was the most desirable act. Rule Utilitarianism is a deontological theory which was designed by Mill, states that that the act which produces the best act is the most desirable act - – “The greatest happiness for the greatest number”. The principle of utility states that actions are right if they promote pleasure but are wrong if they bring pain – “The greatest good [pleasure]for the greatest number.” Bentham believed that all pleasures are equal. However, Mill disagreed and stated that there were lower and higher pleasures. Firstly, Bentham stated that “quantity of pleasure being equal, push-pin (a simple child’s game) is as good as poetry” – he believed that all pleasures were the same. For example, the pleasure received from listening to music would be considered to be the same as the pleasure someone may gain from murdering someone. Mill disagreed with this. He believed that pleasures are split into two categories – higher and lower pleasures. Higher pleasures were satisfaction of the mind such as listening to classical music, and lower pleasures were pleasures of the body such as eating. He reasoned that desires...
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...Stand and Deliver Stand and Deliver (1988) is a film about a teacher and a group of students who went above the expectations of everyone around them and all passed the AP exam. The concept of self-concept is very evident in this film. Self-concept is the “sum total of everything that encompasses the self- referential term ‘me’” (42). A person cannot isolate themselves and develop a self-concept. It is built around social communication; it has to grow from interpersonal communication. The film is based in East Los Angeles, not a place where you want to walk in the streets alone. There, all of the students live and go to school at Garfield High School. Because they live in such an under-privilege neighborhood and go to a school in that neighborhood, they aren’t seen to be as intelligent as someone who lives in Beverly Hills. There was a part of the film during a teacher meeting when Mr. Escalante brought up that he wanted to teach calculus to his students the next school year. This was when the principal laughed and sarcastically said “Boy, that’s a jump.” Because self-concept is developed through interpersonal communication, the fact that even the principal of their school doesn’t believe they could do such a feat like pass the AP exam, they haven’t thought much about their education. School was a joke to them so they focused on their own personal lives at home and with their friends. That is, until Mr. Escalante became their new math teacher. Self-concept can change...
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...pleasures being those which stimulate the brain e.g. poetry and lower pleasures being those that have a physically pleasuring sensation directly to the body e.g. sexual intercourse. Mill justifies his belief by stating “poetry is superior to pushpin” criticising Bentham’s idea that all pleasures are of the same depth. Mill emphasises the fact that higher pleasures are far superior to lower pleasures by stating “it is better to be human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied” he says this as pigs cannot experience higher pleasures so it is better to be a human and to know what the experience of higher pleasures are like. Jeremy Bentham devised a way of calculating whether an action produced more pleasure than pain, this was via the hedonic calculus. This can be used in any every day situation. A recent...
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...Many jobs are based on who you know. For this reason many students join fraternities. I am in the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) and it has already benefited me drastically. In the group we go and work-out as a group, go to class together, and study together. As a Midshipmen 4th Class, we are all required to be in mandatory study hall with a minimum of 10 hours a week. If we are struggling then they have other midshipmen that are more than willing to help us with any subject we need help in. The NROTC requires all Navy option midshipmen to take Calculus I and Calculus II along with Physics I and Physics II. Most people need a lot of help in these classes therefore the Navy pays for tutors to come and work with people, at the unit. These tutors come in three days a week and help any of the midshipmen that need the help. I have needed some help in English already and went to my squad leader who got me in contact with one of the members in my platoon and he helped me understand the topic. Other groups such as the football team and the baseball team all require students to have a certain GPA in order to play during their season or just to be on the team, therefore the coaches will encourage players to get good grades. Often they will find them a tutor or some other form of help to they will get their...
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...Is Pleasure, really the only thing in life we should focus on? For thousands of years, several moral agents have tried to construct multiple ethical theories that could potentially help other moral agents with the difficult and complicated task of determining what is morally right or wrong. In this paper, I will explain the fascinating ethical theory of Utilitarianism and discuss about two very influential people to Utilitarianism, who are Jeremy Bentham, and John Stuart Mill. Along with discussing their contributes to this theory, I will evaluate their personal perspective on Utilitarianism and determine which is more plausible between the two. Ultimately, by doing this I will be able to support the idea that Utilitarianism is not an overall plausible ethical theory to follow. Utilitarianism is a type ethical theory from the ethical objective theory called Consequentialism. Much like in the Consequentialism theory, where morally right and wrong decisions are completely dependent on the consequences produce by an action, morality in Utilitarianism is reliant on the utility of the consequences produced by an action. Utility in this sense means the usefulness of a consequence or the benefits the consequence brings to those all affect by the action. Utilitarians have a strong focus on doing actions that produce the most good. This is due to the principle of utility, which in Utilitarianism states that an action is right if it produces the greatest possibly utility for all those...
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...as a standard for moral decisions in business. One of them being “act utilitarian”, which holds individual actions to a test. “A theory developed by Jeremy Bentham and introduced to the world in his book An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, released in back in the 17th century” (Bentham, Jeremy). There are many ways to determine the outcome of an action. Our reactions to pain and pleasure is a measure. The good that an action provides for the majority of those involved or the greatest number of people is another. Ford had a product to deliver and consumers wanted it. In determining whether this action produces more pain or pleasure for the majority, hedonistic calculus can be used. It is easier to be impartial, when using this calculus on an ethical decision. The calculus weighs all the factors involved in the choice and all are given equal consideration. According to DeGeorge, “Bentham was a hedonistic utilitarian” (DeGeorge 46). He said in order “to evaluate the pleasure or pain produced by an action, there are various aspects of the pleasure and pain that we should consider” (DeGeorge 46). The various aspects used in the hedonistic evaluations are intensity, duration, certainty or...
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