...The concept of utilitarianism was founded by Jeremy Bentham, and is a moral theory that emphasizes that the morally right action will produce the most good. This theory is considered to be another form of consequentialism. In laments terms, the determination of whether an act is right or wrong is based upon the effect it will result in. Another concept that is correlated with utilitarianism includes ruling utilitarianism. Both theories try to maximize happiness, and there is not one answer that is preferable to the other. Instead, we need to examine the two more complexly, allowing there to be a bilaterally multilevel approach. Act utilitarians believe decisions that need to be made should be based upon the action that will create the greatest net utility. This should also be applied on a case by case basis. The right action in any situation is the one that yields more utility. It is important to keep in mind that act utilitarianism focus on the individual actions. To act utilitarian obviously seems that maximum good will be produced. It will maximize the overall utility that is within our power by maximizing the utility of each individual action that we perform. If I choose actions that produced...
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...According to (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utilitarianism) that utilitarianism is “a belief that a morally good action is one that benefits the greatest number of people.” A perfect example would be Ozymandias and what he did to the city of New York during the government and foreign affairs. He believed in utilitarianism because he thought rather than nuclear bombs being sent from US to Europe to the Middle East to Russia and vice versa. Every country had nuclear weapons pointed at one another, and on the brink of a new world war. Ozymandias set off a bomb and killed thousands of people in New York, yet he simply did this all to end the tension with nuclear weapons and ended a war that was going to break out. This was exact situation was a result...
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...Theory of Justice Analysis Michael Lemke 532 February 20, 2012 Scott Schoellkopf Theory of Justice Analysis People need to know what crime analysis is to ensure that the current justice analysis is in place to discuss the theory of justice. An emerging field in law enforcement is crime analysis. A criminal justice agency new to criminal analysis may have difficulties in determining its main focus. Crime analysis is the breaking point for people who commit acts in violation of laws. Philosophy and ethics comes into play to deal with fairness in the theory of justice analysis. This paper will begin with an explanation of some of the principles in how the theories differ from traditional utilitarianism. The second part of this paper will continue with the explanation of how modern criminal justice agencies and other entities define justice. This paper will conclude with how security defines justice. The state of nature from the political theorists of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau states that men were under the assumption of only thinking about themselves, and they did dedicate themselves to their own interests. “Hobbes proposed an autocracy that protects its citizens through its very existence, leaving them no enforceable rights; Locke advanced a liberal regime in which life, liberty, and property are kept safe from governmental discretion, as they are seen as natural human characters; and Rousseau saw politics itself as a remedy for the discontents of private...
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...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 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...
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...Affirmative Action The intention of this paper is to make a real argument against the performance of affirmative action using logical arguments ethical theories, and perspectives. This paper will examine in what way a Utilitarian, Deontologist, Virtue Ethicist, Relativist and an Ethical Egoist would debate against the use of affirmative action. The case will be made by demonstrating why this practice is unquestionably unethical and discriminatory. Affirmative action is frequently used to give subgroups a benefit when applying for jobs, colleges or other organizations. In some cases, companies are financially incentivized to be racially diverse and in other instances extra points are given for test results. The result of these practices enables candidates, which could be less experienced to satisfy a position, to be chosen in order to achieve minority quotas. Affirmative action was passed to push back opposed to racism after segregation was viewed unlawful in order to get the government and employers to employ minorities; however, it is twisted by issues. In order to comprehend how an ethical perspective or theory would deal with affirmative action, it is necessary to first comprehend the view or approach. Utilitarianism is acknowledged as an important ethical theory, which only means that it centers on the expected result of an act, instead of the principles of the act itself or the agent involved in the action. The Utilitarian may endorse using the motto, “the ends justify...
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...Fengwei jin CSE 262 Professor Woods Position Paper #1 - Share the Wealth? I believe we all have encounter such circumstances that a friends turn to you for a copying of licensed software. Then we all have to face a same dilemma whether to copy the software, is it ethical or unethical to do so? Before we answer that question, let me ask you why would you choose to use unauthorized copies of computer software? Software is intangible and /or non-exclusive, Everyone does it, it is so easy to copy software, it doesn’t harm anyone, The low quality of software, Software is expensive, the risk of being caught is minimal and etc(Siponen, Mikko T., and Tero Vartiainen. "Unauthorized Copying of Software."). According to Act Utilitarianism all these reasons can be considered as actions to increase happiness so they could be ethical while if you use Rule Utilitarianism none of these reasons are ethical, these reasons are not compelling and we all must obey the rules that do not deceive and do not cheat. From what I’ve learnt in class I think it’s unethical to copy the licensed software to others. The economic situation of the borrower would not make me change my mind even if the motives for copying the licensed software are poverty(lack of money) and the desire to save money(cost-benefit/efficiency). Suppose this scenario “In our family there is an unemployed computer professional who needs to maintain his professional skills...
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...Egoism: This theory looks at an action in light of these consequences for only one entity, the person deciding whether an action is ethical. In other words, if an action is good for me, then it is ethical. The plus of that theory is that it is easy to apply--you need only look at a proposed action, figure out the consequences for you and if they are good then the action is ethical. The minus of the theory is that it obviously leads to many conclusions that most would agree are not ethical. Suppose you have a baby food plant and have some rotten fruit If it would be economically feasible to use that fruit (amount in profits vs. amount in lawsuits and lost public relations) then it would be absolutely ethical to use that fruit. Apply that example to out of date medications in the third world and you can see that it might be hard to make a straight-faced argument that this theory promotes what most think of as ethical outcomes. Think VERY carefully before you use this theory to justify any conclusion in today's business world. Libertarianism: This theory is a little more nuanced. You are still looking at only one aspect of the situation and that is how it upholds or promotes liberty, but you need to look at how the action upholds or promotes liberty for all those who might have rights. This theory looks at whether an action violates anyone's' liberty and liberty is defined as the right to property you have legally acquired and the right to be free from the unwanted or unagreed-to...
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...Utilitarianism and Kantianism Utilitarianism is where an action is only morally right if it benefits most of the beings in a community. Kantianism, however, is more about whether it is right or wrong instead of focusing on the consequences that follow. An example of utilitarianism would be a person who recently got a raise at their job. They want to spend the money on things they want, like new clothes, furniture, and the like. They later decide that it would be a better idea to buy presents for their parents and siblings instead. It does not really do much for this person, but it does make their family happy. A classic example of Kantianism is to not steal simply because it is immoral. To Kant, the consequences would not matter, no...
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...Biography of Jeremy Bentham: Before I begin to give you an autobiography of Jeremy Bentham, I would like give you this little supplement of the subject Right or Wrong i.e... Principle of Utility. Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two supreme masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do. On the one hand we have right and wrong, on the other we have the chain of causes and effects. They govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think: every effort we can make to throw off our weakness. In words, a man may pretend to reject their domain: but in reality he will remain subject to it all the while. The principle of utility recognizes this subjection, and assumes it for the foundation of that system, the object of which is to take care of the basics of reason and of law. The principle of utility is the basis of the present work: it will be good therefore at the beginning to give a clear and determinate account of what is meant by it. By the principle of utility is meant that principle which approves or disapproves of every action whatsoever. According to the tendency it appears to have to enhance or diminish the happiness of the person(s) whose interest is in question (http://www.blupete.com). Jeremy Bentham was born in Queens Square Place, London, on 15th February 1748, son and grandson of attorneys in the City of London, the eldest of six children, highly intelligent, scholarly...
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...Business Ethics, A Ceaseless Battle I have chosen to evaluate the following rules of ethics as they apply to the world of business: utilitarianism, moral rights and the justice rule. In this paper, I will define each approach and provide the strength and weakness of each as well as compare and contrast the theories I have chosen. UTILITARIAN APPROACH When employed in the use of making business decisions, the goal of utilitarianism is to maximize the greater good for the greater group of people or on the contrary, minimize the negative effects of a decision experienced by a group of people. (See essay by John Stuart Mill, Utilitarism, 1863) While it forces you to consider how the actions of a business could affect its employees, consumers, shareholders, etc., the problem is that it is often very difficult to give value to and measure the benefits of a decision versus any negative result of said action. As an example, you could look at a business’ decision to outsource jobs on a global level. The decision to outsource would benefit the business, shareholders and consumers if it increases the company’s profit margin. However, this decision would no doubt result in layoffs of domestic employees which would also affect that community. Although the business may dislike the effects of outsourcing on the community, they have to consider certain outcomes resulting from resident production such as the bankruptcy or liquidation of the business. The utilitarian approach...
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...Utilitarianism ENG300 Information Literacy Assessment [Type the author name] This paper will discuss utilitarianism, its origins and how we can apply it to our lives today. I will show what would happen if everyone adopted this code of ethics and reasoning, and why I chose it. Utilitarianism What is Utilitarianism? According to our textbooks, utilitarianism is the ethical system which believes that which is ethical is what will bring the greatest good or happiness to the greatest number of people (Turner, 2006). In a direct quote from the American Heritage Dictionary, utilitarianism is the ethical theory proposed by Jeremy Bentham and James Mill that all action should be directed toward achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). Though there are many varieties of the view discussed, utilitarianism is generally held to be the view that the morally right action is the action that produces the most good. There are many ways to spell out this general claim. One thing to note is that the theory is a form of consequentialism: the right action is understood entirely in terms of consequences produced. What distinguishes utilitarianism from egoism has to do with the scope of the relevant consequences. On the utilitarian view one ought to maximize the overall good — that is, consider the good of others as well as one's own good (Driver, 2009).A well-known dialogue by Leonard...
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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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...Jeremy Bentham was a British philosopher who has been regarded as the founder of utilitarianism. He was born in London in 1748. Bentham was known for not being very social and he was known for not liking to make public speeches so he spent most of his time writing papers and books on philosophy, economics and politics. In 1830 Bentham wrote a book called the Constitutional Code where he determined that the all-comprehensive object, or end in view, is, from first to last, the greatest happiness of the greatest number; namely, of the individuals, of whom the political community, or state, of which it is the constitution. Bentham wrote the Principles of Morals and Legislation in which he proclaimed that Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do. On the one hand the standard of right and wrong, on the other the chain of causes and effects, are fastened to their throne. They govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think”. (Wikipedia) Principals of Morals and Legislation focused primarily on the principle of utility and how this view of morality ties into legislative practices. The idea of utility regards "good" as that which produces the greatest amount of pleasure and the minimum amount of pain and "evil" as that which produces the most pain without the pleasure. This concept of pleasure and pain is defined by Bentham as physical...
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...TermPaperWarehouse.com - Free Term Papers, Essays and Research Documents The Research Paper Factory Join Search Browse Saved Papers Home Page » Business and Management Module 3 Original Assignment In: Business and Management Module 3 Original Assignment In recent years, it has become an increasingly popular practice for drug companies to perform their clinical testing of new drugs in foreign countries that might not have the consumer protections or product liability laws present in the United States. Please answer each of the following questions using a theory studied in Module 2 specifically and thoroughly and using examples and facts from the readings and resources. 1. Are drug companies that test experimental drugs in foreign countries acting ethically? Drug companies that test experimental drugs in foreign countries are not acting ethically. Testing of experimental drugs should be done in the host country where the drugs are being manufactured. A major ethical dilemma that is being looked at with this is that the foreign countries that these clinical trials are happening in are not fully educated on the risks or fully understand what they are getting themselves into. After reading the articles many things stood out that these countries may not know what they are signing up for. Anil Netto quoted in the article titled “Health-Asia: Ethics in Outsourcing Drug Trials Questioned,” that by doing these clinical trials in foreign...
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...Utilitarianism and Business Ethics INTRODUCTION Welcome to philosophicalinvestigations - a site dedicted to ethical thinking (rather than one page summaries!!! Though I'm afraid I do add those at exam time - market pressures!). I hope you enjoy this case study which also has a powerpoint that goes with it. There's plenty of other useful material on this site - case studies, handouts, powerpoints and summaries, and also I have written a number of books including best-selling revision guides and a useful book on 'How to Write Philosophy Essays". Click here for details. If you're worried about exams you might at least print out my strengths and weaknesses summaries under each moral theory. I deliberately quote only from my five favourite ethics books, click here to find out which they are - because you might like to buy one of them to supplement your study. Of course, it's important to quote the philosophers themselves in their own words - see my handouts, or for what academics say about them - see the key quotes section under the topic area of each moral theory. And if you'd like to blog on anything in the news send it to me - I'd be delighted to read it and - if it fulfils the criterion of good ethical thinking (!), post it!!!!! Utilitarianism is a normative, consequentialist, empirical philosophy which links the idea of a good action to one which promotes maximum pleasure or happiness, found by adding up costs and benefits (or pains and pleasures). It has two classic formulations...
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