Jeremy Bentham

Classicism was formed when the enlightenment arose and was an innovative response to what was seen as harsh juridical processes at the time. Key figures included: Jeremy Bentham, Cesare Beccaria and Thomas Hobbes. Main concepts included that humans are rational creatures with free will therefore crime can be prevented by punishment. Punishment was used to better the society as it would serve as a deterrent to commit crime. It was expressed to be most effective when punishments were swiftly and…

Every day, we as humans, face tasks that we must come to a decision on whether we are going to do what is morally right, or for the better for the greatest amount of people. Utilitarianism is the action that is best, which procures the greatest happiness for the greatest numbers (100). This may be helpful for short term tasks and requirements, but in the long run always choosing the action that benefits everyone would ultimately hold people back. I will discuss both sides to utilitarianism, how…

Michael Foucault believes that modern society is a society of surveillance, and his predictions could not be more accurate. Through the intention of producing something as lighthearted as entertainment, we have relied on the panoptic order to secure this gaze. This essay will use Foucault’s theory of the ‘panoptic’ order to discuss the ways the, ‘Funniest Security Camera Moments of All Time’ from America’s Funniest Home Videos uses found footage comedies to define our modern day visual culture.…

In certain extracts of John Stuart Mill’s “Utilitarianism,” he argues, “that the only ends of human life are pleasure and the avoidance of pain, so that anything else is bound ultimately to turn in some way on these ends” (Mill 127). Essentially this means that Mill believes that pleasure and the avoidance of pain are the guiding source when it comes to making decisions regarding moral dilemmas. This claim also involves stating that utility is the ultimate source for decision making. Utility is…

What is a moral? A moral is the consideration between right and wrong and the goodness and badness of the human character. For more than two thousand years the question has been about the basis of morality. There are different ways to look at moral including the theory of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism while it emphasizes the upside of life, it ignores the downsides of life. This way of decision making has a greater impact in life and morals than just the moral choices made in a Utilitarianism…

The topic of the death penalty has been considered a controversial issue for over two hundred years. Numerous public figures, world leaders, and renowned philosophers have made their opinions and theories known; yet, there is no universally accepted answer to whether or not capital punishment is morally and lawfully permissible. Despite hundreds of years of discrepancies, philosophers John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant seem to agree with many aspects of the death penalty. Through the…

The utilitarianism and deontological ethical theories can be used to explain the solution to the ethical dilemma of pushing sales versus demeaning the body image of a consumer. The utilitarianism theory posits that the greater good is the only concern and that the right course of action would lead to the least amount of pain or the greatest pleasure. As such, the theory takes into account the majority instead of the minority. Most advertisements and promotions get considerable share of…

Process Versus Human Problem Is it possible to achieve ultimate perfection? How can humans become the best versions of themselves? For Enlightenment philosophers like Descartes, empirical thinking was the source of human improvement. For a Romantic poet like Charles Baudelaire, awareness of the nature of humanity was of most importance. In Descartes Discourse on Method and Charles Baudelaire’s collection of poetry, it is clear that both men had differing views on the understanding of self.…

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that gauges the worth of actions by their ends and consequences. Utilitarianism, claims that a person should act in the way that produces the greatest amount of good over evil, and should consider everyone that would be affected by the action (Skelton,2017). In other words, the ethically “correct” action is the one that causes the most pleasure and the least pain for the greatest amount of people. This theory demands that all choices be considered based on the…

Utilitarianism is considered as one of the most prominent philosophical concepts. This model's core perspective emphasizes that actions are ethically acceptable or unacceptable depending on their consequences. Based on this understanding, it can be argued that utilitarians hold that the goal of morality is to improve life by enhancing some favorable things such as happiness in the world while minimizing undesirable aspects such as grief (Urmson, 33). Consequently, the core objective of this…