Analysis Of Utilitarianism
analytical Essay
1217 words
In his essay Utilitarianism, Mill defines and supports the moral theory of what utilitarianism is. Mill argues that utilitarianism corresponds with natural sentiments that emerge from humans’ social nature. Thus, if society were to accept utilitarianism, the people would see the concepts as morally obligatory. Mill believes that happiness is the only basis of morality and that the only desire people have is for happiness. In this essay I will examine Mill’s moral theory of utilitarianism and offer a critique of his position. Mill’s moral theory is unique in the sense that it unmistakably seeks to maximize not only quantity of happiness, but also the quality. His doctrine of higher pleasures establishes an order of superiority among contradictory kinds of enjoyments, which include ethical as well as non-moral types. In addition, Mill addresses the question of epistemology by raising the question: how do we know what is moral and what is immoral? He answers this question through introducing two ideas about morality: morals are evident a priori or they deduced from comp judges or in other words, morals are deducted from experience and observation. He also tells us exactly what utilitarianism is; happiness and the prevention of unhappiness. However, he also establishes that happiness for mankind is more than just a feeling of warm and fuzziness. Happiness involves not only the mind, but also the body and soul. As Mill clearly states in his essay, there is a vastly amount of difference between happiness and pleasure. Happiness is a state of being whereas pleasure is a sensation. One of Mill’s stronger and more famous arguments is that there are significant differences between the happiness for humans and the happiness for other, lowe... ... middle of paper ... ...time it would take to stop and weigh the pros and cons before making a decision. Wouldn’t that take an irrationally amount of time to do in a majority of the cases? This leads to further complications such as favoritism. Not only is an individual likely to favor himself and loved ones when doing the calculations, but the argument could be made that one has a duty to favor himself and his loved ones. If each and every one of us treated our own pleasure with the same regard as the happiness of every individual in this world, this world would necessitate an excruciating level of self-sacrifice. Mill makes several valid points in hi treatise on utilitarianism and there is much to be considered and learned from his argument. However, all of the cases presented in Utilitarianism and in Mill’s essay are extremely vast and raise many questions which Mill fails to address.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mill defines and supports the moral theory of utilitarianism in his essay utilitariannism. mill believes that happiness is the only basis of morality.
- Analyzes how mill's moral theory is unique in the sense that it unmistakably seeks to maximize not only quantity of happiness, but also the quality.
- Opines that homelessness is drastically reduced which in turn, makes business and property owners happy.
- Compares the homeless's drug-induced ecstasy to their miserable life on the streets.
- Opines that the price of drugs and facilities would be cheaper than welfare and handout programs.
- Argues that mill's theory of moralism enlists a level of elitism to clarify the composure of happiness.
- Analyzes how mill's "happy points" in the above premises add up to being beneficial to nearly everyone with little consequences. mill makes several valid points in his treatise on utilitarianism.
Related
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- Classical Utilitarianism Analysisanalytical essayIn this essay, I examine John Stuart Mill’s theory of classical Utilitarianism and define the three key features the Utilitarian doctrine consists of. Then, raise objections to Mill’s responses to possible counter-arguments against his theory to present and explain how ineffective the Utilitarian moral system is.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how a utilitarian would risk their life by saving five people from drowning in the sea, whereas their own child would suffer, since maximizing value is the goal.
- Analyzes how the utilitarian system unsettlingly allows injustice to occur. they argue that the problem with utilitarianism is that it wants people to distance themselves from their moral feelings and count it as irrelevant to the situation.
- Concludes that while utilitarianism aims for maximization of happiness, the system is directed wrong because it lacks to acknowledge how much of a toll an individual will have to endure if he or she was practicing this lifestyle.
- Analyzes john stuart mill's theory of classical utilitarianism and argues that it is ineffective.
959 wordsRead More - Utilitarianism In The 19th Century Essayanalytical essayThroughout the essay, Mills speaks highly of utilitarianism as a way to construct a happier more stable society. “The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness” (Mill 137). The ideas of such political philosophers such as Mills and Bentham enticed the modern world at the time of their publication, including the people of the U.S. The concept of utilitarianism started shaping America many years ago, and it is important to realize its consequence in modern day
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the idea of utilitarianism was preached by a number of prestigious writers, including john stuart mill, jeremy bentham, and the united states own john adams.
- Explains that utilitarianism is defined by merriam-webster as the belief that a morally good action is one that helps the greatest number of people.
- Opines that the happiness of society is the end of government, which communicates ease, comfort, security, or in one word happiness to the greatest number of persons.
- Explains that john stuart mill published an essay on the concept of utilitarianism, titled utilitariannism. the ideas of mills and bentham enticed the modern world at the time of their publication.
- Analyzes how the utilitarian creed reinforces mills and bentham's ideas of happiness, which is the measure of right and wrong.
602 wordsRead More - John Stuart Mill and Utilitarianismanalytical essayThe main idea behind the utilitarianism is that all actions are done to bring about the maximum amount of happiness. One could argue that often times what brings happiness for one person can hurt another person. However, Mill’s idea focuses on the maximum happiness of the world at large and not just that of a specific person. Mill’s utilitarianism does not include happiness of a person that results in a general decrease of the happiness of society as a whole. Therefore an action can be labeled as right if it promotes general happiness of a society and wrong if it reverses the happiness of a society. What brings about happiness is pleasure and what reverses happiness is pain.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that john stuart mill believes that what makes something right or wrong is based on whether it is thought of as "good". mill uses the goodness as a principle of utility, or greatest happiness principle.
- Argues that mill's utilitarianism focuses on the maximum happiness of the world at large and not just that of a specific person.
- Argues that mill's utilitarianism requires a comparison between different types of pleasures. mill believes that high quality pleasure can be measured by both quality and quantity.
- Analyzes how mill confronts the objection that most virtuous people in history have abandoned and sacrificed their happiness, but he states that the end goal is to bring happiness to others.
- Explains that mill believes that justice is based off of the principle of utility. rights represent the establishment on which further happiness can be fulfilled.
- Analyzes how mill's utilitarianism creates loopholes in getting about actions that may be deemed generally immoral simply because they offer a greater good.
- Explains that mill sees utilitarianism as a great means to judge right and wrong because it incorporates some human feelings and opinions on morals.
- Explains that mill's utilitarianism with its focus on pleasure alone can be analyzed using the "experience machine" brought forward by nozick.
- Explains that peter singer's utilitarnism looks at happiness through a different angle. in preference utilitarianism, the maximum good depends on how well the desires of those involved have been fulfilled.
- Explains that preference utilitarianism can answer questions that mill's more classical utilitarism cannot. if a man wanted to watch legal adult films, mill’s could not explain why he should not watch them.
- Explains that preference utilitarianism can raise questions, such as if a person desired something as horrible as owning as many slaves as possible.
- Opines that mill's utilitarianism was well thought out, but it also has its limitations. the proper guideline of morality rests somewhere in the middle of these and other theories.
1351 wordsRead More - Utilitarianism Essayanalytical essayIn this paper, I will define and explain Utilitarianism, then evaluate the proofs made to support it. In the nineteenth century, the philosophy of Utilitarianism was developed by John Stuart Mill. Utilitarianism is the theory that man should judge everything in life based upon its ability to promote the greatest individual happiness. While Jeremy Bentham is acknowledged as the father of Utilitarianism, it was Mill who defended its structure through reason. He continually reasoned that because human beings are capable of achieving conscious thought, they are not simply satisfied by physical pleasures; humans desire to pleasure their minds as well. Once a person has achieved this high intellectual level, they do not want to descend to the lower level of intellect where they began. Mill explains that “pleasure, and
In this essay, the author
- Explains the philosophy of utilitarianism, which was developed by john stuart mill in the nineteenth century.
- Argues that utilitarianism is wrong in that humans can live just as well without happiness.
- Analyzes how mill argues against the pursuit of pleasure as the promotion of one’s own interests with no regard to the happiness of others.
- Explains that philosophers argued against mill's pleasure principle because it lacked an association to a code of morality. mill refuted their claim.
- Explains that conventional judeo-christian morality teaches that it is wrong to lie, but lying would be acceptable because it prevented an individual from evil. mill points out that utilitarianism is not a completely selfish motivation.
- Analyzes mills' view that happiness is not an all-inclusive term. it is composed of many elements and represents different things to different people.
1037 wordsRead More - Categorical Imperativeanalytical essayJohn Stuart Mill labels his theory of happiness as, “Utility,” (Mill 252). When discussing Mill’s point of view the importance is that of acquiring happiness not only for one’s self, but for others as well. He believes in satisfying the most amounts of people possible, and only participating in actions which result in happiness and for that of the greatest good. In addition to that, Mill suggests that people participate in actions with sheer purpose of gaining happiness. As explained by Mill, “pleasure, and freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends; and that all desirable things… are desirable either for the pleasure inherent in themselves, or as means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain. Unfortunately, Mill’s proposals have been criticized by those who suggest that by living with these ideals people would become too animalistic. However, Mill argues that this is untrue because, “Human beings have faculties more elevated than that of animal appetites,” (Mill 252). By stating this idea, Mill is able to support his theory by explaining that the human species are more cognitively developed than animals, and therefore, find differing pleasures.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that john stuart mill's theory of happiness is "utility." he believes in satisfying the most amounts of people possible, and only participating in actions which result in happiness.
- Analyzes how mill explains to his critics that the pleasures sought out by humans go beyond those of animals. mill provides ground to support his argument that humans are superior to animals in not only the requirements to bring them pleasure, but also in their motives
- Explains that mill proposes that people distinguish between which pleasures to pursue, and which to avoid.
- Analyzes how mill addresses the opposing arguments by using the common human habit of people making choices revolving around their food, but could jeopardize later benefits from their decisions.
- Analyzes how mill makes an effective argument in addressing the criticisms of his proposals about actions done for the purpose of seeking pleasure. he distinguishes between the mental capacity of an animal and a human being in regards to which pleasures they choose to seek out.
665 wordsRead More - “Are You Happy Now?”analytical essayHundreds of years later, John Stuart Mill released his novel, On Liberty and Utilitarianism. John Stuart Mill practiced of Utilitarianism, “the belief that a morally good action is one that helps the greatest number of people” . Mill uses the idea of “the greatest ...
In this essay, the author
- Compares aristotle and mill's views on happiness, stating that they both believe that men should participate in activities that belong to humans.
- Explains that aristotle defines happiness as an end that justifies all other ends. he believes that happiness is in an active state, which means doing things and experiencing things, rather than possessing things.
- Explains that after reading nicomachean ethics and utilitarianism, they realized that happiness is something the individual must achieve and their happiness can reflect on others.
- Analyzes how aristotle and mill discuss similar aspects of happiness, and raise compelling arguments for what makes a person happy and unhappy.
- Explains that aristotle and mill take a similar approach when attempting to define happiness in their books.
- Analyzes how mill believes that happiness is the ultimate end, resulting in the least amount of pain, and unhappiness as pain and no pleasure.
1530 wordsRead More - John Stuart Mill and Utilitarianismanalytical essayUtilitarianism defined, is the contention that a man should judge everything based on the ability to promote the greatest individual happiness. In other words Utilitarianism states that good is what brings the most happiness to the most people. John Stuart Mill based his utilitarian principle on the decisions that we make. He says the decisions should always benefit the most people as much as possible no matter what the consequences might be. Mill says that we should weigh the outcomes and make our decisions based on the outcome that benefits the majority of the people. This leads to him stating that pleasure is the only desirable consequence of our decision or actions. Mill believes that human beings are endowed with the ability for conscious thought, and they are not satisfied with physical pleasures, but they strive to achieve pleasure of the mind as well.
In this essay, the author
- Explains john stuart mill's utilitarianism, which is the contention that a man should judge everything based on the ability to promote greatest individual happiness.
- Analyzes the moral problems that mill ran into with his principle, namely that actions are right to promote happiness, but wrong as they sometimes tend to produce unhappiness.
- Opines that some pleasures are more alluring than others. the old saying, "you can't have too much of a good thing" is trumped by mill's words.
- Argues that mill's statement that pleasure is the sole requirement for happiness is questionable because pain indirectly affects happiness. real pleasure comes only after experiencing pain.
- Analyzes how mill did not justify the criteria for the rules of happiness.
- Analyzes how bentham criticizes mill's utilitarianism as "fit only for the swine" and argues that there is no set standard to live by for pleasure.
- Explains that man has the intellectual capacity for reason and he should aspire for something more. so pleasure keeps multiplying.
- Explains that the happiness machine is an artificial thought and humans need real experiences. the stranger in town violates the justice of a person because he is thrown into the minority.
- Analyzes how mill sums up his theory by saying that the general happiness is desirable, except that each person believes it is attainable, desiring his own happiness.
- Opines that utilitarianism does state several points of interest. they believe that people intend to do good and the people that produce a bad outcome are not necessarily evil.
1321 wordsRead More - Nothing Can Be Good or Evil in Itselfanalytical essayMill, John Stuart. "Utilitarianism." Philosophy: A Literary and Conceptual Approach. Third Edition. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Incorporated, 1995. pp 306-319.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that truth, beauty, and goodness are creative products of the human mind as it exercises its will-to-power.
- Explains that webster's dictionary defines good as being of favorable character, wholesome, and virtuous. the traditional sense of good is an act done only with the benefit of others in mind.
- Analyzes how dr. martin luther king's speech, i have a dream, is an excellent example of a good will affecting the society.
- Argues that good must be addressed in terms not related to human actions. a flower is a symbol of good, but its ability to be pleasing to society makes it good. webster's dictionary doesn't cover this concept.
- Explains that webster's dictionary states evil as causing distress or harm, a source of sorrow, and the fact of suffering, misfortune and wrongdoing.
- Explains that religious and political leaders of dr. martin luther king's time resisted all efforts toward equality because he would be attempting to change an accepted way of life.
- Opines that as we look back on history, our ideas as a society have drastically changed and afford us the opportunity to re-evaluate these same actions as being for the good.
- Explains that nothing can be good or evil in itself. only by calling an action good and evil becomes its label. values are vague and too broad for the concrete and specific case.
- Cites kant's "groundwork of the metaphysic of morals." the twentieth century: mirrors of mind.
- Explains mill, stuart, nietzsche, friedrich, sartre, jean-paul, and sartre. the humanism of existentialism.
894 wordsRead More - Utilitarianism and Morality in John Stuart Mill´s Essayanalytical essayFrom top to bottom, John Stuart Mill put forth an incredible essay depicting the various unknown complexities of morality. He has a remarkable understanding and appreciation of utilitarianism and throughout the essay the audience can grasp a clearer understanding of morality. Morality, itself, may never be totally defined, but despite the struggle and lack of definition it still has meaning. Moral instinct comes differently to everyone making it incredibly difficult to discover a basis of morality. Society may never effectively establish the basis, but Mill’s essay provides people with a good idea.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the human race has struggled to establish the basis of morality for more than two thousand years. mill confidently believes truths can still have meaning even if society struggles to understand its principles.
- Explains that morality is an extremely difficult subject to grasp, which is why there is no set basis for it.
- Agrees with john stuart mill's claim in general remarks that the difficulty is not avoided by having recourse to the popular theory of a natural faculty.
- Opines that morality is simplistic, but there is no concrete standard in which society should define as morally right or wrong. mill believes that utilitarianism has had great impact in shaping a moral basis.
- Analyzes how john stuart mill's essay depicts the various unknown complexities of morality. he has a remarkable understanding and appreciation of utilitarianism.
1012 wordsRead More - Utilitarianism Research Paperanalytical essayIn this essay I will define what utilitarianism is and explain the utilitarian moral theory. In order to define utilitarianism you should have an understanding on what utility is. Many people believe that utility could be defined as the opposition of pleasure. This popular opinion would be incorrect according to Mill. He argues that in order for this accusation to be true it would mean that human would .Mill says that “Utility is pleasure itself with the exemption of pain (Mill 262).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that utilitarianism is a moral theory based on mill's definition of utility.
- Opines that mill is trying to imply that the actions of someone may be good if promotes happiness amongst everyone involved and it would be bad
- Analyzes mill's objections to happiness in any form, stating that happiness could be attained if society changed.
- Analyzes mill's objection to life having no higher end than pleasure, and explains that people have different quantities of pleasure.
- Concludes that john stuart mill defined utilitarianism pleasure itself without pain. the greatest happiness principle states that actions are good if they promote happiness amongst people.
416 wordsRead More