Research Paper on Utilitarianism

Introduction

Utilitarianism focuses and examines the effects of an action. The moral action creates the greatest good for the greatest number of individuals. In other quarters, the general well-being and happiness of the majority number of people should take preference over the individual. The Utilitarianism is therefore a theory which tries to define the freedom and scope of a person's liberty under the state authority. The theory is a form of justice since it draws a line between the rights of others and the rights of the individual. According to the argument of Jeremy Bentham, it underlies on the basic assumption that individuals by nature tend to avoid pain and seek pleasure. He further goes to argue that a person's happiness is the supreme good that he or she can advocate to get from a particular action. An individual should act in a manner that yields happiness for the greatest number of people. Put it differently, happiness should be measured by an amount or quantity. For instance, the people who seem to commit crimes should be penalized by the quantity of unhappiness they create. The punishment must generate more in pain as compared to the pleasure gained by effecting the crime. Bentham is devoted to be an "act utilitarian". The act utilitarian is presumed of holding two ideals: one that an individual should act in a manner that his act will promote the greater good for the greater number of persons; two, worth of an act ought to be judged according to its unpleasant and pleasant consequences. Many critics have argued that Bentham's philosophy has got two major disadvantages. The first is that utilitarianism ignores the distribution of happiness and two, is that it ignores other significant values that any state should consider. (Mill)

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The work Bentham is essentially concerned about the repercussions of moral choices and it is a regularizing moral framework and, in this manner, it is portrayed as consequentialist hypothesis or a teleological hypothesis. The outcome of a demonstration is the incomparable determinant of a demonstration signified to be moral or not. As indicated by Bentham's work, the moral choice must be relying upon the results of a specific activity. In consequentialist thinking, an individual will do the privilege and appropriate thing if the implications of his or her activities are great. Additionally, if an activity by an individual was a demonstration that was portrayed as "not great", however its results rotated to be "great", as per a few hypotheses of teleological thinking, the demonstration might be depicted as a decent moral act. This is otherwise called "consequentialist moral thinking" since we can identify profound quality in the results of our activities that we happen to make. As indicated by the consequentialist idea of utilitarianism, the approaches to get to the moral choice ("end") are depicted as optional and along these lines it is a definitive outcome that ought to be considered before assessing the profound quality of the choice. Bentham clarified that that each individual prefers pleasure to pain. (Mill)

According to Mill, re-examined the principles relating to utilitarianism and proposed that gratification ought to not solely moot to gratification but should also focus to mental gratification for example friendship, music and literature. Mill aimed at making preference on intellectual pleasures than to the sensual ones. Mill believes that happiness is prompted by a person. Additionally, he argues that no one person can determine what will generate for every individual. Therefore, Mill believes that a democracy is the best way to secure liberty and enhance happiness. Besides, he sees democracy as a gate pass to provide a person with happiness to the greatest number of individuals. In contrast to Bentham, John Stuart Mill argues that happiness ought to be measured on qualitative scale. On the other hand, this means that the entire quality of concerning life and happiness, not just the magnitude of happiness should be looked at when determining the level of happiness to the greatest number of people. Therefore, Mill hopes to generate a high quality of happiness for to the greatest number of people in society. Mill goes on to argue that punishment should only be employed if it would result to better consequences as compared to non-punishment. Mill is referred to as a "rule utilitarian". The rule utilitarian's mainly support three ideas: an individual should follow a moral rule that results to more good ramifications than another rule would bring, the moral worth of an act should be decided on good and bad consequences that results from following any moral rule of conduct and lastly all moral rules which generate greater happiness for the greater number of individuals ought to be obeyed.(Mill)

According to Mill, he proposes that there are four principle differences between happiness and pleasure. First, he says that pleasure is related to the body for example eating, drinking and sexual pleasure whereas happiness is related to the mind. Two, happiness is long-term, focusing on the satisfaction of achieving life goals or living well. Third, happiness may encompass pain and pleasure. Lastly, there is an evaluative element in happiness versus pleasure. I do not recommend Jeremy Bentham Utilitarianism theory; it cannot address all the ethical dilemmas people face in society like all other normative theories of ethics. The use of utilitarian principles sometimes may be harmful to an individual or to a group of people.

I do not recommend the work of Bentham based on the following problems associated with the theory. It is very difficult to measure happiness. Happiness is personal and thus is open for further analysis. Does happiness's value increase as time goes by or with significance? Is happiness in winning a million pounds on top teacher prize award important than happiness an individual feel when told by a medical practitioner that she has a good standard of health? On a person who was awarded a million pounds, would this be assessed as "the best possible happy" because the money will take a lot of time before they get depleted? It is therefore difficult to measure happiness in many circumstances. It is therefore impossible to apply the theory since happiness cannot be measured or quantified and happiness cannot be compared to suffering. The theory does not take into account the rights of the minority when the decisions are taken to benefit the greatest number of people. This is running contrary to the rights of individuals and lack of justice to those people. The negative impact of the minority individuals should also be focused so that they do not feel aggrieved.

Conclusion

The work of Bentham is based on the assumption that from any actions, the consequences must bring the greatest happiness to the maximum number of people which I don't support. The greatest happiness should not be derived through the detriment of the minority individuals. Since the happiness cannot be measured nor quantified, I disagree with Jeremy's theory of utilitarianism.

Works Cited

MILL, JOHN STUART. UTILITARIANISM. ALPHA EDITIONS, 2016.