Consequentialism Research Paper
Consequentialism
By Jeremy Ciolli
University of the People
For this paper I choose the topic of consequentialism. Consequentialism is the subject of this study that I felt I most related to and was true for me. In this paper I will explain what it is, why I relate to it, and why I feel it is incomplete. Consequentialism is the subject in morality of weighing the consequences of your actions by the outcomes it will effect. You tally up the consequences and if they are more right or good than not, then it is moral (Fieser, section c). Per James Fieser in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, this subject breaks down into three main sub-headings:
• “Ethical Egoism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable only to the agent performing the action.
• Ethical Altruism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone except the agent.
• Utilitarianism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone.”
In this paper, I would like to spend the most time on utilitarianism. I find that this most closely relates to my own thoughts. From utilitarianism is where we have heard the phrase “greatest good for the greatest number,” which came from James Bentham, …show more content…
We are considering everyone and everything. As humans, we are not super-separate from everything else. We don’t live in a box. Thus, we must consider how our actions affect others. This is why I relate mostly to this concept and feel is deserves the greatest weight. What I feel it doesn’t explain is a method for tallying the consequences and what departments of life we should tally. “Greatest good for the greatest number,” but what does this include? Does it just include other people? Should it include plants and animals? The
By Jeremy Ciolli
University of the People
For this paper I choose the topic of consequentialism. Consequentialism is the subject of this study that I felt I most related to and was true for me. In this paper I will explain what it is, why I relate to it, and why I feel it is incomplete. Consequentialism is the subject in morality of weighing the consequences of your actions by the outcomes it will effect. You tally up the consequences and if they are more right or good than not, then it is moral (Fieser, section c). Per James Fieser in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, this subject breaks down into three main sub-headings:
• “Ethical Egoism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable only to the agent performing the action.
• Ethical Altruism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone except the agent.
• Utilitarianism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone.”
In this paper, I would like to spend the most time on utilitarianism. I find that this most closely relates to my own thoughts. From utilitarianism is where we have heard the phrase “greatest good for the greatest number,” which came from James Bentham, …show more content…
We are considering everyone and everything. As humans, we are not super-separate from everything else. We don’t live in a box. Thus, we must consider how our actions affect others. This is why I relate mostly to this concept and feel is deserves the greatest weight. What I feel it doesn’t explain is a method for tallying the consequences and what departments of life we should tally. “Greatest good for the greatest number,” but what does this include? Does it just include other people? Should it include plants and animals? The