...The philosopher that I have chosen is John Stuart Mill. John Stuart Mill was born on 20th May 1806 in London, to the British economist, historian and philosopher, James Mill and Harriet Burrow. Mill was a philosopher, political and economic theorist, naturalist, feminist, civil servant, scholar and an author. He was well-known as one of the most influential English philosopher of the nineteenth century. He was the eldest son and was educated by his strict father. Mill’s father was a supporter of Jeremy Bentham’s philosophy of utilitarianism and aimed to make his son a genius so that he would carry of Bentham's theory after both his and Bentham’s death. Therefore Mill’s father kept him very sheltered, away from children of his age and taught...
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...eternal consequences: to go war or not, to lie and cheat or not, to unplug a loved one from a respirator, and so on. Such moral questions have enormous weight to them. And as human beings, we have no choice but to face them every day. It is part of the essence of what it is to be a human. There is no way out of it, no matter how much someone tries to ignore these issues, these choices must be made, and their consequences faced. Others have realized the importance of such questions and have devoted much time and writing to address them. All the way back to Plato and Aristotle, philosophers have been deeply concerned with such issues. Each has offered his own view of right and wrong and how to go about acting in the right way. Those in the field of ethics have spent much time pondering these questions. Two such philosophers were Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Each of these philosophers expounded and endorsed the principle of utility. For utilitarian’s, pleasure and pain are the two driving forces. “Nature has place mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure” (Bentham 367). For Bentham the principle of utility was the principle for ethical questions. The principle can be simply stated as providing the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. This means that Bentham is an Ethical Hedonist; the right thing to...
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...Utilitarianism Utilitarianism was founded by Jeremy Bentham and was adopted by John Stuart Mill, whose father was an associate of Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes the overall happiness or pleasure for all the people involved, by whatever means necessary. The moral worth of an action is determined only by its resulting outcome; therefore utilitarianism is only concerned with consequences and not with intentions of an action. Both philosophers believed that a morally good action will bring the greatest pleasure or happiness, and an immoral action will be the one that produces more pain. Therefore, everything we do and ought to do is driven by the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain. The difference between the two philosophers was that Bentham believed that only the quantity of pleasure matters, whereas Mills argues that the quality of the pleasure matters more. Both, Mill and Bentham had very similar view on Utilitarianism, but yet Mill’s was distinguished from Bentham’s. Bentham was more concerned with the amount of pleasure that is generated from an action. He did not consider that some pleasures are higher and some lower. Because of that he was able to quantify the amount of pleasure or pain according to a single set of criteria. On the other hand, Mill believed that the quality of the pleasure matters more and that all pleasures cannot be so simply quantified. The following...
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...that maximizes utility, usually defined as maximizing happiness and reducing suffering. * The Utilitarian tradition is often summarised as “the greatest good for the greatest number” * “The Classical Utilitarians, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, identified the good with pleasure”. Therefore pleasure is the ultimate goal that will lead to an ethical society, according to the Utilitarian approach. John Stuart Mill: * was an English philosopher, political economist and civil servant. * He has been called "the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century Theory of liberty: * Mill states that it is acceptable for someone to harm himself as long as he is not harming others. * On Liberty involves an impassioned defense of free speech * The individual ought to be free to do as he wishes unless he harms others. * Individuals are rational enough to make decisions about their good being and choose any religion they want to. * Government should interfere when it is for the protection of society. * Freedom of speech Harm principle: * The harm principle holds that the actions of individuals should only be limited to prevent harm to other individuals. * John Stuart Mill articulated this principle in On Liberty, where he argued that, "The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. * Liberty consists in...
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...throughout a discussion depending on the person. However, definitions cannot change and are set in stone. Philosophies are just like definitions, the ideas are set in stone and each philosopher has made it their own. The idea of morality that embodies most philosophies is trickier and is a mix of both a definition and opinion. No matter what the definition is, one persons’ opinion could interpret that definition in many different ways. Trying to establish the morality of an action is even trickier than the idea of morality itself. One philosopher will have one belief and another will have a completely different view and an outside person could interpret each of those philosophies in a different way. In the eyes of a utilitarian, such as John Stuart Mills, it would be considered morally justifiable to expend resources on luxuries when those same resources could provide others with the necessities of life. John Stuart Mill was historically known for utilitarianism. This means that he believed the morality of an action is determined by their consequences and uses the principle of utility to evaluate those said consequences. The principle of utility states that actions are right insofar as they promote happiness and wrong insofar as they produce the reverse of happiness. The utilitarianism that Mill is known for is broken into two separate forms. The first is act-utilitarianism; this view says that the particular consequences of each individual action is evaluated by reference to...
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...Name Professor Course Date Why does Mills think that Utilitarianism provides the foundation for Justice and why does Rawls reject it? Introduction The concept of utilitarianism is one that has engulfed the philosophical arena with an obscene number of arguments that support and/or criticize it. Generally, utilitarianism is a theory in normative ethics that defines an action as one that ensures maximum utility. Other schools of thought would like to put it as the concept of “maximizing happiness while reducing suffering” (Mills 3).In as much as utilitarianism has continued to receive applause from people and the political scene, other divergent scholars has come up with other theories that seek to compromise the philosophies under which the concept of utilitarianism operates. As a result, utilitarianism has become subject to contradictions from other theories in the field of ethics. The thinking class in other fields of utilitarianism characterizes in as a quantitative yet reductionist approach to ethics (Mills 3). Over time, the concept of utilitarianism has received ideological threats from; deontological ethics which does not assign moral worth to an action based on its consequences, virtue ethics that solely deals with action and habits that results to happiness, pragmatic ethics and other forms of ethics that backs the idea of consequentialism. In a nut shell, the concept of utilitarianism as defined by political philosophers and in relation to justice is becoming...
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...Utilitarianism Introduction In this report we would like to explain some of the concepts in moral ethics called utilitarianism. A famous philosopher called Jeremy Bentham introduced this moral concept in the 18th and 19th century. The utilitarian’s describes utilitarianism, as “the actions are morally permissible if and only if they produce at least as much net happiness as any another available action”. Also, this paper we would explain the concepts by John Stuart Mill Theory on utilitarianism. History During the 18th century, there was a revolution in Europe that not only affected the industries, but also government regulations like liberty, equality and fraternity. The result of this revolution helped in creating new modernized Europe. This...
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...Happiness is defined by Webster’s dictionary as “ A state of well being or contentment”. Many philosophers believe that all humans desire to reach this goal of happiness. However the best way to achieve this state has been pondered and argued for thousands of years. Aristotle believed that happiness is “ the activity of the soul expressing itself as virture”, and that without living a virtuous life happiness is unattainable. Three philosophers Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and Immanuel Kant all agreed to Aristotle’s belief that virtue is necessary to attain happiness. It is the role of virtue in attaining happiness and what constitutes virtue or morality that is the issue that is disputed. Jeremy Bentham believed in the pleasure and pain principle which was that happiness was identified with pleasure and with an absence of pain. He believe all people should seek happiness and pleasure. Bentham identified 7 principles of pleasure 1. Its intensity2. Its duration.3. Its certainty or uncertainty.4. Its propinquity or remoteness.5. Its fecundity.6. Its purity.And one other; to wit:7. Its extent; To Bentham the extent meant to how many people this pleasure would reach. He was one of the fathers of Utilitarianism whose doctrine was “the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people. This outlook was what constituted virtue for Bentham. If you did something that made a great number of people happy he considered this virtuous and in turn makes you happy. Also in...
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...Z5088638 University of New South Wales Introduction John Stuart Mill was an influential economic thinker and reformer, whose novel ideals of economic social proved to have a lasting impact on future reformative programs endowed in moral value. Mill’s economic contributions has been characterized into the classical system of economics: production, the distribution of goods, rents and wages, and the economic role of government, which leaves many to critique its practical implications to modern day issues like political corruption in Australia. Today’s political environment in Australia is pigeonholed by a lack of transparency in government contracting and enforcement of regulations, greedy politicians extorting taxpayer money, and power of lobbyists on influencing government policy. Though these concepts were of no concern during Mill’s life, the fundamental theme of institutional power and constraints on societal development can be utilized to weave abstract thinking into realistic interpretations. Thus, the aim of this paper is to ascertain the extent to which Mill’s 19th century economic ideas can be applied to issues of political corruption in 21st century Australia and possible reform. The Economic Philosophy of John Stuart Mill J.S. Mill was born in 1806 in Pentonville, France. He was the eldest son of James Mill, who was a major constituent of Jeremy Bentham’s radical utilitarianism (Wilson, 2014). James Mill was a significant influence on J.S. Mill’s economic theory...
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...responsibly. In this paper, I will explain the three “Classical Theories of Morality” including how they align with my morals and cultural identity. Furthermore, I will explain how my cultural identity impacts social responsibility. The first classical theory of morality that I want to delve upon is Nicomachean Ethics created by philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle describes how personal morality is achieved through human nature, eudaimonia and virtuous activity. Aristotle believes that individuals must have intellectual virtues together with moral virtues to live well in communities. Intellectual virtues can be taught, moral virtues must be acquired through habit and require a certain sort of community if they are to be realized (Scalet & Arthur, 2014, p. 75). One lives a well life by developing, balancing and implementing exceptional virtues. It is our duty therefore to keep a certain character in our activities, since our moral states depend on the differences in our activities (Scalet & Arthur, 2014, p. 79). The second classical theory of morality that I want to delve upon is the fundamental principles of the metaphysic of morals created by philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant developed an important system for determining morality known as the categorical imperative. The categorical imperative constitutes the heart of the distinction between right and wrong, a distinction that any rational being can comprehend and act on (Scalet & Arthur, 2014, p. 81). Morality and Social Responsibility...
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...comes to the conclusion that his body and his senses must not exist, but does that mean he himself does not exist either? And if one doubts the existence of his or her body and senses, then the rest of the world must not exist either, therefore, one is persuaded that he himself does not exist. This leads the author to the conclusion that he exists, since he was there to be persuaded. Descartes reasons that while we must doubt everything, "doubting" is a form of thinking, which is solid proof that the he that is doing the thinking exists, and is a thinking thing. If something is believed to be true by the majority or the ruling class, does not necessitate it to be true. John Stuart Mill in On Liberty emphasizes three types of liberty; the first one he discusses to no coincidence is the freedom of thought. Mill argued that for an opinion or belief to be considered true, they must be challenged and debated. The only way one can be confident that he /she is right is to ensure complete liberty to contradict his or her opinions. A minority thought or opinion must not be suppressed simply on the basis of it being a minority,...
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...building blocks of modern philosophy. Categoricalism basically says if something is ok for me to do it, then it must be ok for the masses, or everybody. Conversely, is something isn’t ok for me to do, and then it follows that it isn’t ok for everyone as well. The concept of Catergoricalism comes from Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant, who was very influential on modern philosophy. The idea is that we should act as if everyone did the same and don’t put ourselves above other people. Contractualism originated from the writings of Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher who wrote a booked named Leviathan. The concept of contractualism starts in the state of nature that is the time before ethics and according to Hobbs; humanity is in a war of all against all. Without contracts that define how we should act, all chaos would break out and everyone would be out for themselves without any consequences. Ethics are basically agreements that people have between each other that govern how they will act. Utilitarianism is about how much happiness and suffering you create for everyone through your actions. Originating from the writings of English philosopher John Stuart Mill, utilitarianism states that which results in the happiness of the greatest number of people is the greatest good. Happiness is the end all that people desire and if they live by a moral code that focuses on creating happiness, they achieve the greatest utility. An example of utilitarian thinking and justification...
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...Philosopher: John Stuart Mill Background According to John Stuart Mill, “Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.” John Stuart Mill was a philosopher that was born in 1806 in London, England to philosopher, John Stuart. At age 17, John Stuart Mill became a utilitarian, which means he believed in the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority. At this point in his life he formed the utilitarian society. At the age of 24 he started to write articles and essays in support of women’s rights. At this point in his life Mill believed that women should have rights and equality but not necessarily be independent. Mill also shared his philosophy on women’s rights with Harriet Taylor. Harriet was married but she and John still shared a close relationship, that did become a social scandal at the time. When Harriet’s husband died, she and John wed in 1849. Mill who typically favored the secret ballot in elections, changed his politically viewpoint because of his wife’s strong belief in public voting for peoples fear of shamefulness. Mill became a strong believer in proportional representation based on reading a book of Thomas Hare’s on democracy. Over the next 15 years, after his wife Harriet died, he worked closely with his stepdaughter Helen, who cared for him as well as became his secretary. He wrote many books during this time, as well as continued...
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...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 affected by the action. In other words, if an action produces the most good, pleasure, for that situation then that action is right. Unlike in other ethical theories, in Utilitarianism an action is morally right only when it produce the most pleasure. According to Epicurus, ancient Greek philosopher, in “ A Letter to Menoeceus” he taught us that our mission in life should be to attain...
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...John Stuart Mills a famous utilitarian obeyed Bentham’s idea of utilitarianism but he redefined this to iron out these objections and make the theory more acceptable to the Victorian middle classes. His father was a friend of Bentham’s and, like Bentham he was preciously bright, he was reading Greek by the age of three and by the age of ten he had read all the classical authors usually required of undergraduates. Unlike other Victorians he argued strongly for equal rights for women. As well as being one of the most important of all moral philosophers, then, Mill is also one of the great political theorists, and still valued by many as the father of modern political liberalism. Mill’s theory originates from only part of Bentham’s theory which states that utilitarianism is a teleological theory, which involves looking at the future effects or consequences of an action, which therefore implies that it is the consequences which are right or wrong, not the actions or motives. This means that an action should be chosen because it creates the right consequences and not the wrong ones. Mill also agrees with the idea of hedonism, which refers to the idea that naturally everybody experiences pleasure or pain. It claims that pleasure should be maximised as it is intrinsically good where as pain is intrinsically bad and therefore should be minimised. In addition to this the principle of Utility, also an idea of Bentham’s, judges an action by how useful it is in bringing about good consequences...
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