Key Features of Utilitarianism Essay - 1189 Words

Examine the key features of utilitarianism (21) The theory of Utilitarianism is based on the concept of utility, a theory of usefulness. Utilitarianism is a system of morality that generates us with what the most useful thing to do in different situations and outcomes. Different Utilitarian approaches to morality have emerged each with their own theory of good and community of concerning individuals. Featuring the main influential contributors to this theory are Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. There are two types of theories, teleological and deontological theories. Firstly for the teleological theory, you would consider the ends, or the outcomes of your decision. It considers whether it is right or wrong depending on the different†¦show more content†¦This suggestion will only help the majority and no the minority. It doesn’t give any protection to the minority, for example the sadistic guards, where the guards gain pleasure from torturing and the helpless prisoner gets pain but there are a higher number of guards comparing to one prisoner. So is it correct to say that what the guards are doing is right? For the calculas, what if someone doesn’t have all the available information for every 7 factors? Will the calculus still be put to use? There’s absolutely no guarantee in predicting the future because everyone is different. Each person has different views even if it’s on the same subject. The calculus is obviously flawed. J. S. Mill on the other hand, felt that Bentham had made a mistake in his assessment of what human beings desired the most. Mill thought that what was more important was that happiness will be most affectively gained when individuals seek their own needs. Mill knows that Bentham’s theory is based on quantitative level and that’s where he saw upcoming errors where human behaviours react to different things change everything. So, instead of focusing on quantity, Mill focuses on the qualitativeShow MoreRelatedKey Features of Utilitarianism868 Words   |  4 PagesKey Features of utilitarianism and its weaknesses. The Theory of Utilitarianism comes from its name from the Latin word ‘Utilis’, meaning ‘useful’. It was first developed by Jeremy Bentham, Philosopher and legal theorist of the 18th century. Bentham produced a modern approach of morality which would suit the changing world of the industrial age. This was also the era of enlightenment. Utilitarianism can be regarded as a consequentialist and teleological system of ethics, providing no strict moralRead MoreThe Moral Philosophy Of The Mercedes Benz Executive Christoph Von Hugo Essay1523 Words   |  7 Pageslife of a pedestrian given those as the only two options. 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JOHN STUART MILL – Rule Utilitarianism (rulesRead MoreUtilitarianism And Out Of All By Jeremy Bentham And John Stuart Mill1513 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction With the passage of time, new ideas emerge and there is always a new way of looking into things thus developing new epistemologies. Utilitarianism is one of the ways of looking at things, there were and are many thinkers of utilitarianism and out of all the thinkers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill were the key thinkers or the classical utilitarians. Mill (as cited in Mulgan, 2007) states, â€Å"actions are right in proportion as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happinessRead MoreKant s Powerful Reasoning For Moral Atrocities1525 Words   |  7 Pagesthis paper i will argue that Kantian reasoning provides the most powerful understanding of how to assess and navigate moral dilemmas concerning atrocities when compared to Utilitarianism. In order to effectively do so, i will be using a case by Bernard Williams. 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