Six Ethical Approaches Of Aristotle 's ' The Greatest Happiness Principle '

The statement “The greatest happiness for the greatest number is the measure of right and wrong” was coined by the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham as the fundamental axiom of his philosophy. Bentham is respected as the father of Modern Utilitarianism; this strand of ethical thinking has not only been adopted by followers of Bentham, for example John Stuart Mill or Peter Singer, but also by economists and lawyers as a means of creating a fair society, with the highest potential for co-operation. However, although utilitarianism is widely followed and supported, there are many issues that arise due to its subjectivity

They had eaten a boy as they were near the brink of death and had to sacrifice at least one members. Sandel mentions they tried to justify what they did because he had nothing to live for since he was an orphan and in addition he was going to die anyways. Then, we’re presented with two approaches to justice such as one that produces the “best state of affairs…” (Sandel 23) and the other is one that doesn’t take into consideration the consequences because there’s other things to worry about in a moral standpoint. Jeremy Bentham philosophy of utilitarianism was the idea of maximizing overall utility by maximizing happiness and minimizes the risk of pain. Throughout various examples they present different situations on the concept of utility to see what brings the maximum happiness over pain. Sandel talks about the idea of cost-benefit analysis, which is used greatly in the business world “by translating all costs and benefits into monetary terms—and then comparing them” (Sandel 26). Though, there may have been multiple examples, “Exploding Gas Tanks,” since the Ford Pinto didn’t have enough safety, which caused their gas tanks to explode. This made them weigh the cost of human life over the cost of how much they’ll be spending to fix the problem. They thought they would benefit from this, but they were definitely wrong

Libertarians want to be free and rule over their own lives, “One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state” (The Advocates). They do not want to sacrifice their own self for the benefit of another, but respect an individuals’ rights. The first traces of libertarianism were found in ancient China, Greece and Israel. It began to develop into what we have now by the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Libertarians see that each individual is the basic unit of society, each of them make choices and are responsible for their own life. However, libertarianism is not the belief that people can do as they please whenever, but rather that each individual can chase their goals and respects the lives and choices of

The theory of ethics explore through various topics of human behaviour, involving the constructive guidance of concepts that are right or wrong in one’s performance. Many philosophers argue that people should be just and ethical because it is the only source of true and lasting happiness. Meaning, ethical people are happy people. This ethical theory of happiness is further studied through countless philosophers, but the two main thinkers that will be specifically researched are Aristotle, a continuing figure in ancient Greece philosophy, and Epictetus, a Greek Stoic philosopher. Within the two, both believe human action is the main goal in reaching happiness such as the good habits, so called “virtues”, but with two different beneficial views. Another interesting theory they come across is the intention of being rational towards a decision. Lastly, the main difference between the two theories is how one will be able to achieve happiness, as one focuses more to be virtuous and sacrificial and the other seems to avoid pain and endures in pleasure. As two philosophers go in depth in the same topic of the search of happiness, this paper aims to portray the similarities and differences each theory have.

The Utilitarian Principle, or Greatest Happiness Principle (GHP) is defined as: actions are right, or good “as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Stumpf, 2015, p. 314). Happiness is defined as a ratio of “pleasure and absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure” (314). Bentham measured the happiness or pleasure of each individual in aggregate to determine if an action or rule is right or wrong based on weather the outcome results in achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people (350). Mill’s Greatest Happiness Principle is not measured in the same way that Bentham’s Utilitarian calculus measured the GHP.

Utilitarianism is the first ethical approach spoken about in Sandels book. Utilitarianism is the thought that every action from every person should be held into a positive connotation for the most people you can construed to happiness should be. Sandel wrote about the co-inventor of the idea and definition of utilitarianism, known as Bentham. Bentham demonstrated that in his correlation of the idea it would be a nonjudgmental spirit. he also goes along to say there in no distinguish between higher or lower pleasures because all values can me calculated and compared through a single scale.

Utilitarianism was founded by a man named Jeremy Bentham in the mid-1700s and was thoroughly studied by John Stuart Mill. It is the idea of “The Greatest Happiness Principle.” Based on its principle, Utilitarianism states that to be good is to create the greatest possible happiness for the greatest number. This philosophy focuses more on maximizing the overall happiness for the population. When making a decision, utilitarianism evaluates the actions taken based on their consequences, and by weighing the consequence; it will produce more practical results. Since Utilitarianism judges the decision by weighing the outcomes, it is also known as consequentialism.

Libertarianism, by definition, is “a collection of political philosophies that takes individual liberty to be the primary political value. They contend that the scope and powers of government should be constrained so as to allow each individual as much freedom of action as is consistent with a like freedom for everyone else” (Boaz). While there are many arguments on either side of the spectrum, the important thing to remember is that libertarianism is not a sound philosophy. The idea behind libertarianism is what is good for the individual is good for all. This clearly is not, and cannot be the case because not everyone behaves in a way that benefits the greater good. What people promoting this belief do not realize is there will never be a government that works perfectly according to their standards, because it relies on human nature. Those promoting libertarianism essentially want to be treated like adults by the government in all aspects, rather than a child. The problem with this is that not everyone acts and behaves as an adult. This premise can only work if everyone behaves as such. This idea might work in an ideal, utopian society, but in a realistic society, it cannot work. There are several arguments to be made against the idea of libertarianism. First, that the premise of a “small government” is unrealistic and impractical.

Happiness is what one defines as a set limit of true enjoyment. We all have our own kinds of happiness whether it is in the state of mind or a plan of action. Most of humanity cheerfulness will not match because of their clarity of life but there may be some similar steps to get to the point in which appeal to their form of happiness. Aristotle touched a lot of key concept to the definition of happiness which proves that we all have a different understanding of what is expected as happiness. Aristotle defines happiness as the virtue of good and desirable of people. Aristotle think everything we do in life as humans have a greater purpose. According to Aristotle articles, whether you realize it at the moment or not the things you do have a greater

Classical utilitarianism is grounded in the ‘greatest happiness principle’: the preservation of happiness of all of mankind (Mill, 2003, p. 138).The theory states that one must act so as to bring about the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Another component of the theory which Bentham claims is that, “everybody to count for one, nobody for more than one.” (as cited in Mill, 2003, p. 138)

An individual’s virtue ethics does not depend on the society that they live in, the spirituality that they follow, or their culture/upbringing; but they depend exclusively on the individuals themselves. Aristotle introduced moral ethics theory in his Nicomachean Ethics books. The idea of ethics is questioning long term goals, ‘what sort of person do I want to be’ instead of instantaneous decisions that question ‘what should I do in this situation?’ Virtues are not so much to do with right or wrong but rather where that decision is coming from. What is in the heart of the person that answers/acts is what matters in the virtuous world. Instead of concentrating on what is the right thing to do, virtue ethics asks how you can be a better person. According to Aristotle this pursuit of constantly trying to improve one’s self to be a better person is what true happiness is in life, as he underlines in his own definition of happiness: “happiness is a certain activity of the soul in conformity with perfect virtue.” (1) (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics Book 1).

Nicomachean Ethics is a famous text by Aristotle where he talks about various aspects about ethics. Aristotle argues that most people agree that the supreme good is happiness. He believes that happiness is something that all humans try to aim for. What people disagree with is what it actually is that makes people happy and what it is that constitutes happiness.

There are many ways to say the same thing, and libertarians are not unanimous in the answer of “What is libertarianism?” As the name implies, libertarianism is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as its core principal objective (Wiki). Libertarians believe that each person owns his own life and property and has the right to make his own choices regarding the two – as long those decisions do not infringe on the equal rights of others (The Advocates). Ron Paul, former congressman and 3-time Presidential candidate, states it as “the core of libertarianism is respect for the life, liberty and property rights of each individual. This means that no one may initiate force against another, as that violates those natural rights. While many claim adherence to this principle, only libertarians apply the non-aggression axiom to the state.” (The Advocates). Libertarians are proponents of negative rights – rights not to be subjected to an action of another person or group – such as the ones seen in the Bill of Rights (Koenig). They believe such civil liberties to be fundamental to a person's well being. Thus, to protect their rights, Libertarians trust minimal government and want government out of as many things as possible (Koenig). The libertarian way of thinking can be applied to new

Utilitarianism can be defined as a moral theory that is generally considered to have been founded by Jeremy Bentham who was a 19th century English philosopher and social reformer whom the panopticon is also attributed to. At the center of utilitarianism is happiness, which is in fact the ultimate goal of all human beings. To be happy and promote happiness. According to classical utilitarianism, when a person wants to act in an ethical way, he or she should strive to bring about the greatest possible amount of happiness for the greatest possible amount of people. This idea is known the greatest happiness principle. A similar idea is that a person should always strive, if incapable of producing happiness, to reduce unhappiness. These ideas

“As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.” Quoted by https://www.lp.org/platform/. Libertarians believe that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives. The Libertarian party has three main principles. The first principle is the right to life, which means that Libertarians support the prohibition of instigating physical force against others unless the provocation is applicable. The second principle is the right to liberty of speech and action everyone has a right to speak their mind, and everyone has the right to protest within reason. The third and last main principle in the Libertarian party as stated on their home page is the right to property which means that Libertarians oppose all government interference with private property and they are against robbery, trespassing and misrepresentation. What this party represents the most is the full freedom for anyone to do what they want, though they have the right to do what ever it is they want they will pay for the consequences and repercussions. When the Libertarian party says individuals have the right to do whatever it is that they want to do, it does not mean anarchy. Every issues in the Libertarian party is within reason. Libertarians believe that Citizens have the right to marry any gender or sex they please, to do anything to their