The other party to the comparison knows both sides." (Mills) Here we have the more regal concept given to men of learning and not necessarily of experience
Altruists are concerned with others, but not themselves. Utilitarians are concerned with all of the people affected by the act (Brink and Copp, p
try to ground moral judgments in the rational nature of the moral subject, whose inherent dignity they emphasize." (Aune & Berger, p
For, in Kant's view, utilitarianism led to the temptation of sacrificing one person for the good of the whole. Whereas, Kant held that human beings had intrinsic worth and, therefore, he thought that there were certain actions that were wrong irrespective of whether such actions increased the total amount of happiness in the world (Hudelson, p
Depending on the situation, different ethical actions may be required. "The greatest number" is said to include all who are "affected by the action in question with each to count as one, and no one as more than one" (Kay, 1997, Notes on utilitarianism)
Depending on the situation, different ethical actions may be required. "The greatest number" is said to include all who are "affected by the action in question with each to count as one, and no one as more than one" (Kay, 1997, Notes on utilitarianism)
' Mill acknowledged that the concept of justice was an old one. However, simply because many human beings believed in a transcendent concept of justice that was greater that the needs of the majority did not mean that such a sentiment was necessarily valid: "It is one thing to believe that we have natural feelings of justice, and another to acknowledge them as an ultimate criterion of conduct" (Mill 1)
"Going out to nice restaurants, buying new clothes because the old ones are no longer stylish, vacationing at beach resorts -- so much of our income is spent on things not essential to the preservation of our lives and health. Donated to one of a number of charitable agencies, that money could mean the difference between life and death for children in need" (Singer 60)
He develops a philosophical system based exclusively on reason. "Reason's function is to bring a will that is good in itself, as opposed to good for some particular purpose"(Flikschuh, 2000)
One performs its duty instead of pursuing its own desires or maxims. " Act according to maxims which you can at the same time have for their object themselves as universal laws" (Kant, 2008, p
" For the utilitarian model, nothing is right or wrong in and of itself -- it all depends on the consequences -- it is the results that matter, not the cause. The idea, then, especially behind Rule Utilitarianism, is that there are always alternatives in any situation -- humans calculate the utility by adopting a course (rule) that provides the greatest utility in the long run if it were followed every time that particular situation arose (Mulgan, 2007)
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, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure (Mill, 'UTILITARIANISM'
S. Department of Health has been reporting the same trend over the years; the fact that only 3-5% of the sexually transmitted disease in the country is related to prostitution (Lambert, 1988)
S., child prostitutes make $500-600 per night but only receive $25 from their pimps (Saikaew, 1997), thereby getting robbed of a better standard of living as well
John Mills explains it best, With many, the test of justice in penal infliction is that the punishment should be proportioned to the offence; meaning that it should be exactly measured by the moral guilt of the culprit (whatever be their standard for measuring moral guilt): the consideration, what amount of punishment is necessary to deter from the offence, having nothing to do with the question of justice, in their estimation: while there are others to whom that consideration is all in all; who maintain that it is not just, at least for man, to inflict on a fellow creature, whatever may be his offences, any amount of suffering beyond the least that will suffice to prevent him from repeating, and others from imitating, his misconduct." (Mills) In reference to economics, early Utilitarians opposed "governmental interference in trade and industry on the assumption that the economy would regulate itself for the greatest welfare if left alone
The philosophy asserts, "that an action is right if it tends to promote happiness and wrong if it tends to produce the reverse of happiness -- not just the happiness of the performer of the action but also that of everyone affected by it."(West) Utilitarianism holds that even when the motivation behind an act is bad the consequences can be good
Furthermore, a human is distinguished from animal by virtue of his reason (logos). A person is, therefore, happiest when he is using his distinctive attitude because he is then fulfilling his life's purpose (Bostock, 2000)
Nonetheless, despite this great difference, Aristotle sees the human as one distinguished by reason rather than carnal pleasure and even though acknowledging that carnal pleasure exists and must be satisfied, his optimal human society, it seems to me, would be one that centers around reason, namely contemplation and acts of magnanimity and justice. Towards that end, if practicing utilitarianism in its basic sense he might incorporate it with reason in the manner of two-level utilitarianism that states the one should normally use 'intuitive' thinking since this usually maximizes happiness, but one should occasionally ascend to the higher level of reason in order to act as correctly as possible (Hare, 1981)
Differences between the two theorists lie, too, in the fact that Bentham offers the general principle of utility. He presents no rules as Mill did, and, in this manner, the differences between Mill and Bentham could best be summarized by defining Bentham as an act utilitarian and Mill as a rule utilitarian (Rosen, 2003)
For instance, when the majority may prefer the pleasures of the moment thereby deferring possibly more authentic long-term pleasures for those that are short-lived. The minority would benefit from the long-term pleasures, but since utilitarianism asserts that we go for the greatest good, one may defer to the majority (Smart, 1973)