StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The principle of utility - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
According to Alican et al (276), the principle of utility states that an action or a rule is right, will lead to goodness or happiness that is high for a big number of people. If further states that the behaviors or actions are always right so long as they promote pleasure and…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.6% of users find it useful
The principle of utility
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The principle of utility"

The Principle of Utility According to Alican et al (276), the principle of utility s that an action or a rule is right, will lead to goodness or happiness that is high for a big number of people. If further states that the behaviors or actions are always right so long as they promote pleasure and happiness, wrong as they have a tendency of producing pain or unhappiness.Mill et al (57) observed that Mill formulated the principle by elaborating the ethical issue’s central issue as the quest of the ultimate end or the supreme good.

The design of his argument shows that the maximum happiness or the general happiness s the moral food that is ultimate.Attfield (176) pointed out the caution Mill gives his readers that anything he produces cannot be used as a proof in the popular and also ordinary meaning of the term. The reasons he gives are that ultimate end questions are not amenable to proof directly. Anything that is good and can be proved must be done by showing their goodness.In a real life situation principle of utility gets portrayed in a free market economy case.

Some people will have an argument that the free market as the best and people should be allowed pursue the goodness where they deem it fit. However, the negative side of the argument is the many disparities that exist between poverty and wealth. Despite the all the goodness the market has done, the weak continue to suffer (Alican et al, 336).Work CitedAlican, Necip F. Mills Principle of Utility: A Defense of John Stuart Mills Notorious Proof. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1994. Print.Mill, John S, and Roger Crisp.

Utilitarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. Internet resource.Attfield, Judy. Utility Reassessed: The Role of Ethics in the Practice of Design. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1999. Print.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The principle of utility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1623171-the-principle-of-utility
(The Principle of Utility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 Words)
https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1623171-the-principle-of-utility.
“The Principle of Utility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1623171-the-principle-of-utility.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The principle of utility

History of Modern Social Thought

Recognized as one of the most influential thinkers through his innovation of classical liberalism, Jeremy Bentham is deemed as a pillar of modern social thought and the founder of the utilitarian school of thought.... With his powerful ideas, which are way beyond his times, Bentham's philosophy became a moving force behind prominent philosophers such as John Stuart Mill, Robert Owen and several world leaders....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

The Nature of Man According to John Stuart Mill

Although Mill raises serious objections to his first principle that suggests that the “only legitimate grounds for social coercion is to prevent someone from doing harm to others” (Mill, 1978, xv), he then suggests its defect by illustrating a second principle of demarcation....
16 Pages (4000 words) Essay

Utilitarianism in the Works of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill

It considers definitions of utility and concepts of utilitarianism that the authors expand in their representations.... So, many of the early uses of the philosophy have been supplanted by new uses, in which authors like Bentham expand definitions of utility, in two basically positivist representations of utilitarianism by these authors.... hellip; In terms of institutional application in a historical sense, this has also included a reckoning of the main points of justification theory utilitarianism as a way of grading or categorizing institutions or policy ramifications in terms of testing and proving the efficiency or utility of the institution through a utilitarian viewpoint....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Mills Utilitarianism

nbsp;… The basic and fundamental block for judging the morality of any outcome should be based on the principle of utility.... He argues that the ranking of pleasure and pain is directly related to the degree of utility one derives from certain actions.... This is owing to the fact that such decisions or opinions always result in the betterment of society as a whole because society can derive more utility from such actions or decisions....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Recollection of Knowledge

hellip; the principle of utility is the first moral philosophy principle in that it states that each human being is morally obligated to seek to promote the inherent happiness of the greatest group of people.... Use the principle of utility to justify Rosenblatt's claim in the last sentence of 'The man in the water'.... First, what does it mean to say that the principle of utility is an absolute moral principle?... The 'Old Man Snodgrass' and 'Maiden Aunt' cases make it hard to accept the claims of the principle of utility....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Is Utility Consistent with Justice

In his introduction, he proposed the “principle of utility” which later evolved and popularized as “the greatest happiness principle” as also adopted by Mills as the ideal guidelines in making decisions involving individual and society as a whole quoting “By the principle of utility is meant that principle which approves or disapproves of every action whatsoever, according to the tendency which it appears to have to augment or diminish the happiness of the party whose interest is in question1”....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Dissatisfaction of Humans and Socrates

Question Two: the principle of utility: the principle of utility denotes that the behaviors or actions of people are right and good, only if they are able to promote the pleasure or happiness of an individual.... utility appears in this sense, when I was able to act rightly, satisfying my conscious, and the happiness of the owner of the wallet, when I returned it to him.... This principle further denotes that the actions or behavior of people are unjust, if they are able to produce pain, or unhappiness....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Rule Utilitarianism According to Mill

the principle of utility which forms the cornerstone of utilitarianism states that the degree to which an act increases people's happiness is the measure of morality.... the principle of utility which forms the cornerstone of utilitarianism states that the degree to which an act increases people's happiness, or minimizes their pain, is the measure of morality, and such does not involve the motives or intentions of the agent.... As the principle of utility explains, the motivation of a person is doing something has nothing to do with the consequences and do not form part of the ethics of the act....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us