Utilitarianism and Happiness - 945 Words

Utilitarianism In his book, J.S. Mill attempts to build on Jeremy Benthams original idea of Utilitarianism. His definition of the moral theory is one that is grounded in Benthams original work but also extends to include remarks to criticisms of Utilitarianism. Mill believes that, like Bentham, utility is what is valuable to society. Utility, according to Mill, is the promotion of pleasure or the absence of pain. He defines this as happiness, which is why he refers to utility as the Greatest Happiness Principle (Mill 55). Thus, pleasure (or painlessness) is what society finds valuable. Because society finds happiness valuable, it must attempt to maximize total happiness. Mill describes that the presence of pleasure and the absence†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, what is necessary to contemplate is not the utility of the action worth praising but the praise itself. This means that praise is its own action and not a remark on a previous action. The idea that praising actions that one may not approve may not sit well with dissenters of utilitarianism immediately. One might find that immoral and wrong. However, in the case of a utilitarian, whose moral actions are based the fact that the overall happiness of society is valuable and one must do all they can to maximize it, one can see that if an action goes against your ideals, but can bring about the greatest happiness, one must, according to Utilitarianism, commit that action. For instance, in Smarts article, he tells of a story where the initial actions of a blacksmith incorrectly mounting a horseshoe led to the loss of the horse that led to the loss of a knight and ultimately the loss of the kingdom. The question here is who to blame? The knight? The blacksmith? The horse? In response, Smart said: Whose was the responsibility? The act-utilitarian will quite consistently reply that the notion of the responsibility is a piece of metaphysical nonsense and should be replaced by ‘Whom would it be useful to blame? (Smart 54) Essentially, Utilitarianism states that who to blame does not matter because it does nothing to promote pleasure or demote pain. However, what does matter who could be blamed that would lead to moreShow MoreRelatedUtilitarianism : The Pursuit Of Happiness1566 Words   |  7 PagesUtilitarianism according to mill is the pursuit of happiness in addition to the â€Å"prevention or mitigation of unhappiness (930). Utilitarianism is focused on maximizing happiness, in the greatest quality and quantity, of all sentient creation. What is ethical is thus determined by the end result towards self and society (amount of happiness) rather than the motive or action. Mill describes that actions are right if they â€Å"tend to produce happiness† (intended pleasure) and wrong if they â€Å"tend to produceRead MoreUtilitarianism, Or The Greatest Happiness Principle1407 Words   |  6 PagesUtilitarianism, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, states that the morality of an action should be judged based on the extent to which it produces happiness, or the opposite of happiness—an action is good as long as the result is happiness, and deemed bad if it results in pain. A clearer understanding of what Utilitarianism is can be gained by John Stuart Mill’s characterization of what it is not. He states, â€Å"I believe that the very imperfect notion ordinarily formed of its meaning, is the chiefRead MoreEssay about Utilitarianism and Happiness845 Words   |  4 Pagesactions worth is determined by maximizing utility (pleasure or happiness).it looks at the consequence of an action as to whether the outcome is good to the majority of people affected by it. According to Bentham, utilitarianism is the greatest happiness or greatest felicity principle. There are many types of this theory which include act vs. rule, two level, motive, negative and average vs. total. (Clifford G., John C. 2009) In act utilitarianism, when people have to make choices, they should co nsider theRead MoreUtilitarianism : The Greatest Happiness Principle1176 Words   |  5 PagesUtilitarianism John S. Mill describes utilitarianism, also known as â€Å"The greatest happiness principle†, as a philosophical theory of morality. This theory is focused on the end result (a consequential theory) rather than the motive behind it. It argues that the morality of the action is solely dependent on the action’s results. The action is morally ethical as long as it produces the greatest happiness for the majority of people involved. Mill mentions, â€Å"†¦ the greatest happiness principle holdsRead MoreUtilitarianism : The Greatest Happiness Principle1574 Words   |  7 PagesUtilitarianism is best referred to as the â€Å"Greatest Happiness Principle.† This means that when one considers himself as a utilitarian, he believes it is only right to judge the rightness or wrongness of an action based on the consequences. In other words, â€Å"actions are considered moral when they promote utility and immoral when they promote the reverse† (Nubcaek 2011). T he principle of utility helps to capture an idea of the good is that which produces the greatest benefit, greatest advantage, orRead MoreEssay about Utilitarianism: The Greatest Happiness Principle528 Words   |  3 PagesUtilitarianism was first brought up along the nourishing of â€Å"The Greatest Happiness Principle† introduced by Jeremy Bentham and further developed by John Stuart Mill, who was a follower of Bentham (Sweet, 2013). Based upon its principle, Utilitarianism states that to be good is to generate the greatest possible amount of happiness for the greatest number. In contrast with rational egoism, Utilitarianism focuses more on maximizing the overall net happiness of the majority. When facing a decision toRead MoreUtilitarianism Essays : The Happiest And Pleasure Of The Most People Not Included The Personal Happiness1398 Words   |  6 PagesThe unsound of utilitarianism The utilitarianism theory is described as the happiest and pleasure of the most people not included the personal happiness. Jeremy Bentham believes there were two masters in this world that are pleasure and pain. On utilitarianism, we should reject pain and found a way to make more people happy no matter what the outcome. Utilitarianism is unsound because of events in history, life conflict, and animal cruelty that occurs in our everyday. All thru history, it has shownRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Utilitarianism954 Words   |  4 PagesThe Pros and Cons of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is the ethical belief that the happiness of the greatest number of people is the greatest good. Jeremy Betham and John Stuart Mill are two philosophers that were leading advocates for the utilitarianism that we study today. In order to understand the basis of utilitarianism, one must know what happiness is. John Stuart Mill defines happiness as the intended pleasure and absence of pain while unhappiness is pain and the privation of pleasure. UtilitariansRead MoreUtilitarianism Essay529 Words   |  3 PagesUtilitarianism Utilitarianism is a consequentialist ethical theory. An action is right or wrong based on its consequences. John Stuart Mill was an important philosopher in developing the idea of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism holds that any action that results in a greater amount of happiness in the world is a right action and any action that results in pain or less happiness is wrong. Utilitarianism can be divided into different versions. Act utilitarianism is one of the versions ofRead MoreUtilitarianism : Bentham And Mill766 Words   |  4 PagesUtilitarianism: Bentham VS. Mill Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that holds the morally right course of action in any given situation is the course of which yields the greatest balance of benefits over harms. More specifically, utilitarianism’s core idea is that the effects of an action determine whether actions are morally right or wrong. Created with philosophies of Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), Utilitarianism began in England in the 19th Century.