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utilitarianism. Utilitarianism The Ethical Theory of “Utilitarianism” is the most
reasonable approach to morality. ... Utilitarianism of course is not perfect. ...
the lonesome stranger and utilitarianism. ... The lonesome stranger is a persuasive argument
to utilitarianism, showing problems pertaining to justice. ...
Utilitarianism. ... Consequentialism: There are two major views of how consequences
matter, Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism. ...
Utilitarianism. ... Utilitarianism is a concept that holds an action to be held right
if it tends to promote happiness for the greatest number of people. ...
Utilitarianism. Mill’s Utilitarianism brings an extended concept of Bentham’s
philosophy and a response to Kant’s deontological philosophy. ...
Submitted by kzlomke on May 7, 2006
Category: Philosophy
Words: 784 | Pages: 4
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Utilitarianism
In general, the philosophical idea of utilitarianism refers to the idea that choices or decisions should be based on maximizing positive consequences, that is produce the most good for the most people given equal consideration all involved. Utilitarian theory does not focus on the well-being of an individual, but maximizes the well-being of society as a whole. This ethical philosophy best describes the morality (goodness) of actions in terms of how effectively the actions consequences maximize utility. Utility is the interests or good of all people affected by the action.
Consequentialism: There are two major views of how consequences matter, Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism. Act Utilitarianism, the original and most common position, holds that the rightness of any action depends on the consequences of that specific action. Rule Utilitarianism holds that the rightness of any action depends on whether or not that action follows a universal rule which would have good consequences if everyone followed it. Under Act Utilitarianism, the rightness of actions is evaluated on a case by case basis, and things such as rules and laws are only present if they have practical usefulness. Under Rule Utilitarianism, the utility of rules rather than actions is evaluated, and all actions should conform to the rules with the highest utility.
Jeremy Bentham\'s moral theory was founded on the assumption that it is the consequences of human actions that count in evaluating their merit and that the kind of consequence that matters for human happiness is just the achievement of pleasure and avoidance of pain. He argued that the hedonistic value of any human action is easily calculated by considering how intensely its pleasure is felt, how long that pleasure lasts, how certainly and how quickly it follows upon the performance of the action, and how likely it is to produce collateral benefits and avoid collateral...
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