Main strengths of a Utilitarian ethical system
EXPLAIN THE MAIN STRENGHTS OF A UTILITARIAN ETHICAL SYSTEM [25] 27/9/13
Utilitarianism, the theory that actions are right if they useful for the majority, the greatest happiness and pleasure for the greatest and majority of people. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was an English moral philosopher concerned with social reform, Bentham wanted people to seek pleasure and avoid pain. On the other hand John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) who was a great admirer of Bentham; however, he believed in the principle of utility and the idea that please should be ranked according to quality not quantity. For example: eating a mars bar is a poorer pleasure compared to listening to poetry. Mill believing in pleasures of the mind is greater than pleasures of the body (eating). Within this essay I shall be discussing the different views of Bentham and Mill and how their theories are strengths for the utilitarian system.
Jeremy Bentham believed that happiness for the greatest number of people is better than happiness for the minority of people. For example if a group of mountaineers became stranded and needed food, they would eat the man that was dying or simply couldn’t make it to survival, this is stating that the majority [the hungry mountaineers] want to eat him and that would give them pleasure, this pleasure is greater than the dying mountaineer. The greatest amount of pleasure, for the greatest amount of people. This is an apparent strength of the utilitarian ethical system as the majority of people are in fact happy, meaning more people will be happy compared to the minority that are sad, happiness will always outweigh the sadness. Bentham’s form has strength as it avoids misery.
Slight contrast appears with John Mill, whose ideological theory involved quality not quantity. In terms of pleasure this meant that Mill could in a way rank a pleasure, for example Mill said that having sex was a tiny pleasure compared to going to an art gallery or writing music. This
Utilitarianism, the theory that actions are right if they useful for the majority, the greatest happiness and pleasure for the greatest and majority of people. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was an English moral philosopher concerned with social reform, Bentham wanted people to seek pleasure and avoid pain. On the other hand John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) who was a great admirer of Bentham; however, he believed in the principle of utility and the idea that please should be ranked according to quality not quantity. For example: eating a mars bar is a poorer pleasure compared to listening to poetry. Mill believing in pleasures of the mind is greater than pleasures of the body (eating). Within this essay I shall be discussing the different views of Bentham and Mill and how their theories are strengths for the utilitarian system.
Jeremy Bentham believed that happiness for the greatest number of people is better than happiness for the minority of people. For example if a group of mountaineers became stranded and needed food, they would eat the man that was dying or simply couldn’t make it to survival, this is stating that the majority [the hungry mountaineers] want to eat him and that would give them pleasure, this pleasure is greater than the dying mountaineer. The greatest amount of pleasure, for the greatest amount of people. This is an apparent strength of the utilitarian ethical system as the majority of people are in fact happy, meaning more people will be happy compared to the minority that are sad, happiness will always outweigh the sadness. Bentham’s form has strength as it avoids misery.
Slight contrast appears with John Mill, whose ideological theory involved quality not quantity. In terms of pleasure this meant that Mill could in a way rank a pleasure, for example Mill said that having sex was a tiny pleasure compared to going to an art gallery or writing music. This