Act utilitarianism Beneath was very concerned with the social conditions of his day, particularly with hospitals and prisons. He tried to develop a moral theory which benefited society. Beneath argued in favor of: individual and economic freedom the separation of church and state freedom of expression equal rights for women the end of slavery the abolition of physical punishment the right to divorce free trade usury the decentralization of homosexual acts Teleological/Consequential A group of philosophers argue that whether something is right or wrong depends on the result or end of that action.
Theories that are interested in ends are called teleological, from the Greek word for 'end'.
For a teleological ethical thinker, the end justifies the means. You decide the rightness of an action by the
...end it produces. A choice that results in good end is morally better than one that results in a bad end. Stealing or lying is right If It leads to a better situation afterwards - for example, If the theft feeds a starving family, or the lie conceals a secret from a spy. Qualities such as love, honesty and kindness are not good In themselves. They are only good in an instrumental way because they cause good results.
Consider torture. A deontological may argue that torturing prisoners is always wrong, no matter what the situation. On the other hand, a ideologist will want to look at the consequences of either choosing to torture or not choosing to torture before deciding whether or not it Is right. Let us suppose that the prisoner has secrets that, once revealed, will save the lives of many Innocent people. The prison guards
know he has this Information. The teleological thinker will maintain that it is right to go ahead and torture to discover the truth, as it will save the lives of many innocents.
Relativism
Every culture and every country has different customs and practices. Some philosophers have argued that morals are simply ways for different cultures to express what they approve or disapprove of. This theory that morals are relative Is called relativism. The Immediate consequence of this theory Is that there are no absolutes: nothing has to be true In every culture. Morality changes: It depends on where, when and who you are.
What is a hedonist? Utilitarianism was devised by Jeremy Beneath, an English thinker who worked on legal reformed and who wrote The Principles of Morals and Legislation.
Beneath can be nines are motivated by pleasure and pain. Beneath saw seeking pleasure and avoiding pain as a moral fact - pleasure is the sole good and pain the sole evil. The question 'what things are good? Is not necessarily the same question as 'what actions are right? ' Utilitarianism answers the second question by referring back to the first one. Right actions are the ones that produce the most good.
Hedonism has always been an attractive theory because it expresses the idea that things are good or bad only on account of the way they make us feel. The principle of utility or greatest happiness principle
Once Beneath had established that pleasure and pain were the important qualities for determining what was moral, he developed the 'utility ' principle. The Principle of Utility states that you should aim to produce "the greatest happiness for the greatest
number of people". It is a teleological ethical theory which determines a good act by the ends it brings about. This principle is also known as the greatest happiness principle.
The rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by its 'utility' or usefulness. Usefulness refers to the amount of pleasure of happiness caused by the action.
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