Universalism,impartialism, & utilitarianism - Essay Example

?Universalism, Impartialism, & Utilitarianism The world and the people in it have certain beliefs and principles that govern it which determines one’s destiny. Two of the most powerful theories that have affected and are still affecting how people shape their mindset, goals, and life would be Universalist and Impartialist theories. Universalism is a theory that hinges on a central belief that all people are saved. This salvation has been paid in the most expensive and precious price of the body and blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross. A lot of people ask why it was necessary for Jesus’ sacrifice and Universalists believe that it is the only way for sinful humans to be reconciled to God again after being separated from him because of sin. This salvation applies to all human beings whether they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior or not because this redemption would be achieved in one’s lifetime or the afterlife where God will bring people to repentance. This reconciliation does not exclude evil beings (Slick, M., n.d.). An example of a Universalist point of view would be a mind set wherein one does not depend on one's regularity in church attendance every Sunday because based on this view no amount of good works could save one from eternal death except for Jesus' death on the cross. Another would be the belief that there are no levels of sin. When one chooses to do bad, it displeases the Lord. However, this does not mean that one could be cut off from the love of God. On the other hand, Impartialist theory believes that Impartialism which means choosing something over the other is not necessarily a negative or a positive thing. Being impartial is not closely linked to morality (Hsieh, D., n,d.). This is because of the fact that one can be impartial, choosing another option based on rational qualifications without meaning any harm to the other party. One example of which would be to choose to not go to your friends beach party and yet attend your other friend’s house party because of the fact that you cannot swim. Furthermore, a person could be impartial in a way that affects his or her action’s morality when one chooses something over the other based on personal motive or gain. A good example of which would be to choose to hire a friend you know is not totally capable of the job just because you can get a wide range of connection from that person and putting off an unfamiliar applicant who is clearly equipped for the job because you don’t see any obvious personal benefits from doing so. Based on the definitions of Impartialist and Universalist theory, both are strongly interconnected with Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is a philosophy that was first developed by English philosophers John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham. It was based on the experiences of women who were forced into slavery. From this, these philosophers developed the belief that criminals need not only be punished, instead reformed where every being is brought to their utmost positive potential. Thus, Utilitarianism in its entirety is a theory that puts premium on the value of happiness which is achieved in the absences of pain and where pleasure is the ultimate goal (Utilitarianism, n.d.). Impartialism is strongly applied in the theory of Utilitarianism because as Impartialism puts significance in welcoming impartial decisions or actions just as long as it is in line with moral ethics – not having ill motives, which is correlational to Utilitarianism which puts utmost importance on man’s happiness achieved through activities, social acceptance, success, power, luxury, and etc. If one successfully abides in the Impartialist theory, Utilitarianism is achieved as man can reach ultimate happiness. Aside from that, the Impartialist point of view is backed up by what ethics, morality, and at the same time natural law teaches us. Natural law which is the foundation of it all holds the universal law of humans’ right to live, have a decent home, be fed, be nurtured and cared for, be loved, be educated and etc regardless of gender, sex, economic background, & religious beliefs. From here, we derive the guidelines of ethics and morality that instills in us that one’s right ends where another’s right begins. This just means that we can practice our rights just as long as we do not hurt people and take something that was meant for them. With these said, all the features of Impartialism is advantageous to the Utilitarianism as an ethical theory. This is because of the fact that when man’s rights are being served, from one’s physical to emotional needs, man is capable of reaching utmost happiness which is the ultimate goal of Utilitarianism. However, there are some challenges we encounter as Utilitarianism which solely encourages reaching one’s goal of happiness irrespective of what means one chooses to reach that goal could contradict the Impartialist view. An example of which would be when people overdo leisure and luxury that causes one to be disconnected, lose focus, and forget about real life responsibilities. Thus, if one is a parent and because of a Utilitarian view on life, chooses to put oneself first over his or her family’s needs, then this causes confusion between the two theories. Indeed, for the Utilitarian & Impartialist theory to benefit us in life, it needs to be practiced with utmost temperance and at the same time dealt with a wise use of our freewill and decision-making which involves weighing different situations that would require different reactions. Meanwhile, looking at the theory of Universalism and Utilitarianism as ethical theories, one would also find both interconnected. One aspect that unifies both theories would be Utilitarianism’s ultimate goal which is happiness as Universalism believes that everyone is saved, regardless of whether one has sinned a few or a lot which is a key to utmost happiness. This is because when man sees his purpose and feels secure about the future, it is easy to achieve happiness. Also, an advantage of Utilitarianism’s belief that the most significant thing in this world is for man to achieve happiness regardless of whether the means one chooses to take is ethically wrong or immoral on the Universalist theory would be the perspective of the latter on who and what our God is. The Universalists believe that God is a god of love who will always be patient, forgiving, and will be the same today and forever. With this said, even when one’s selfish desires rule one’s life just to please one’s bodily or emotional satisfaction, one would still end up being eternally happy because in the end, one has already been saved as the past, present, and even future sins have already been paid off by Jesus’ death on the cross. Thus, even when one lives recklessly and loses oneself in earthly revelry which is temporal happiness, Universalists believes that this would not earn one punishment in the afterlife because when one is saved and there’s nothing one can do can change that. Bibliography: Slick, Matt. "Universalism | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry." CARM - Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. . Hsieh, Diana Mertz. "enlightenment: The Bias of Impartialism." Enlightenment: Objectivist Scholarship. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. . "Utilitarianism." Sacramento State. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. . Read More