beneficence
Beneficence, Reason and Sainthood
Beneficence is seen as doing good or performing charitable acts for the betterment of mankind. It consists of acts of mercy, kindness, support, assistance and charity aimed at the promotion of the good of others. Kant argues that beneficent acts cannot exist in isolation, but must have a moral aspect. It is generally accepted that no man is an island; hence every human being needs his/her fellow beings in one way or the other. Because of this interdependence nature of human beings, then everyone has a duty to others to be helpful as much as they can. According to the Encarta dictionary a duty is “something that somebody is obliged to do for moral, legal, or religious reasons”. Different theories give deferring perspectives about beneficence. According to Hume benevolence resides in human nature and therefore it forms the basis of all human morality. He argues that the manifestations of benevolence are seen in friendships, charitable acts, humility and generosity directed towards others. In the theory of utilitarianism, John Stuart Mills is of the opinion that utility forms the basis of human morals. This theory proposes that any action that produces the greatest happiness is right and vice versa.
Kant believes that beneficent acts cannot be limitless but are done according to one’s means, for the sake of their happiness and that of others without hoping for anything thereby. It is human nature to seek for assistance whenever they are faced with situations that they can’t help themselves. For instance, financial assistance extended to a needy student in college, offering someone a job so that they can earn a living for self-sustenance, helping a disaster-stricken country get on its feet by other nations or nurturing the sick back to health are all acts of beneficence. This or the other, everyone has a need that can be met through a selfless act of another person and therefore anyone who finds him/herself in need will definitely
Beneficence is seen as doing good or performing charitable acts for the betterment of mankind. It consists of acts of mercy, kindness, support, assistance and charity aimed at the promotion of the good of others. Kant argues that beneficent acts cannot exist in isolation, but must have a moral aspect. It is generally accepted that no man is an island; hence every human being needs his/her fellow beings in one way or the other. Because of this interdependence nature of human beings, then everyone has a duty to others to be helpful as much as they can. According to the Encarta dictionary a duty is “something that somebody is obliged to do for moral, legal, or religious reasons”. Different theories give deferring perspectives about beneficence. According to Hume benevolence resides in human nature and therefore it forms the basis of all human morality. He argues that the manifestations of benevolence are seen in friendships, charitable acts, humility and generosity directed towards others. In the theory of utilitarianism, John Stuart Mills is of the opinion that utility forms the basis of human morals. This theory proposes that any action that produces the greatest happiness is right and vice versa.
Kant believes that beneficent acts cannot be limitless but are done according to one’s means, for the sake of their happiness and that of others without hoping for anything thereby. It is human nature to seek for assistance whenever they are faced with situations that they can’t help themselves. For instance, financial assistance extended to a needy student in college, offering someone a job so that they can earn a living for self-sustenance, helping a disaster-stricken country get on its feet by other nations or nurturing the sick back to health are all acts of beneficence. This or the other, everyone has a need that can be met through a selfless act of another person and therefore anyone who finds him/herself in need will definitely
References: Wolf, Susan. (1982). Moral saints. The journal of philosophy, 79(8), pp 419-439. Retrieved from.ocw.mit.edu/courses/linguistics-and…/MIT24_231F09_lec23.pdf Carbonell, Vanessa. (2009). Moral saints reconsidered (Doctoral dissertation, the University of Michigan). Retrieved from http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63675/1/vcar-1.pdf