A Critique Of Hedonism And Utilitarianism - 1418 Words

Ethics and Morality Ethics ties together philosophy and human morality, it explores the techniques and principles used to evaluate human actions on their goodness, badness, rightness, and wrongness. In this paper, I am going to give a critique of hedonism and utilitarianism. (and answer the question of what makes something good or bad) Humans cannot be truly objective when it comes to morality. In theory, morality is supposed to be unbiased, but when it is put into the hands of humans, there is always going to be errors. Naturally, people pursue their self-interest without thinking much about if it is morally right or wrong. However, I do believe that God has given us a set of laws as to what is right or wrong without being bias over it, but we can even interpret that in the wrong ways. Some points that may be argued for certain things that are always truly wrong include: rape, child abuse, or murder, but there are still times when murder may not be considered wrong. For instance, we have a whole army to go out and kill in order to support our country and keep us safe. Who would say that was wrong? Another example of humans altering the definition of morality is there are things about today that are considered right or wrong that were not that way in the past, such as slavery or woman’s rights. How can we call something wrong today and know it will still be that way tomorrow? In today’s society, people are constantly using their thoughts and feelings to justify morality,Show MoreRelatedRobert Nozicks Experiment, The Experience Machine and the Inclusion of Meta-Pleasure722 Words   |  3 Pagesdisprove the utilitarian notion of hedonism through a thought experiment that he has entitles â€Å"The Experience Machine† (Nozick 646). I will first explain the concept of utilitarianism and hedonism, then the experience machine before I give a reply about the inclusion of a third category of pleasure which I have called â€Å"meta-pleasure† . Finally, I will show how technology may be disproving the entire experience machine thought experiment altogether. Utilitarianism is a moral theory that seeks to defineRead MoreUtilitarianism : A Workable Moral Theory? Why Or Why Not?958 Words   |  4 PagesUtilitarianism: A Workable Moral Theory? Why or Why Not? Utilitarianism is one of the most commonly used ethical theories from the time it was formulated by Jeremy Bentham and John Stewart Mill in the nineteenth century. In his work, Utilitarianism, Bentham â€Å"sought to dispel misconceptions that morality has nothing to do with usefulness or utility or that morality is opposed to pleasure† (MacKinnon, 2012, p. 53). To simplify the utilitarian principle, which is one of utilityRead MorePerfectionism About Happiness And Higher Pleasures789 Words   |  4 Pages(Summary) In Chapter 3, â€Å"Perfectionism about happiness and higher pleasures,† Mill attempts to reassure readers that the utilitarian can and will defend the superiority of higher pleasures, such as poetry. He notes that hedonism can still defend higher pursuits as extrinsically and instrumentally. To see Mill’s point, Brink states that all other things have only, or at most, extrinsic value: they have value in relation to or for t he sake of something else that has intrinsic value. Mill claims thatRead MoreUtilitarianism, And The Moral Imperative1575 Words   |  7 Pages In this essay I intend on arguing the legitimacy of utilitarianism, and if its principles can be subjected effectively to society today. Utilitarianism, which is a common term in normative ethics, is a moral doctrine that coordinates and specifies evaluation and moral actions through three recommendations. These recommendations are the criterion of good and evil, a moral imperative, and a measured evaluation. A criterion of good and evil emphasizes on the happiness and stakeholdersRead MoreUtilitarianism And The Moral Imperative1575 Words   |  7 Pages In this essay I intend on arguing the legitimacy of utilitarianism, and if its principles can be subjected effectively to society today. Utilitarianism, which is a common term in normative ethics, is a moral doctrine that coordinates and specifies evaluation and moral actions through three recommendations. These recommendations are the criterion of good and evil, a moral imperative, and a measured evaluation. A criterion of good and evil emphasizes on the happiness and stakeholdersRead MoreUtilitarian Arguments1681 Words   |  7 Pagesbest arguments against Utilitarianism, and show in my own opinion, why I think they are wrong. The strongest counterargument against Utilitarianism would have to be Sterling Harwood’s eleven objections to the theory. Sterling Harwood states that even he does not accept all eleven of his objections, but he merely wants to survey a large number of objections and provoke further discussion. (p. 186) Harwood’s objections are applied to all twelve versions of Utilitarianism, which are motive, actRead More Immanuel Kants Ethics Of Pure Duty and John Stuart Mills Utilitarian Ethics Of Justice2753 Words   |  12 PagesMetaphysics of Morals and John Stuart Mills Utilitarianism Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill are philosophers who addressed the issues of morality in terms of how moral traditions are formed. Immanuel Kant has presented one viewpoint in The Grounding For The Metaphysics of Morals that is founded on his belief that the worth of man is inherent in his ability to reason. John Stuart Mill holds another opinion as presented in the book, Utilitarianism that is seemingly in contention with the thoughtsRead MoreMoral Philosophy Is An Area Shrouded By Debate Essay1934 Words   |  8 PagesThe prevalence given to pleasure in moral philosophy is an area shrouded by debate. Fundamentally the argument becomes one of utilitarianism opposed by deontological ethics. Other theories such as egoism and virtue ethics provide examples of how one should live a moral life which, depending on the defined notion of pleasure, could have the value prescribed to their theoretical guides for how to lead the moral life. Often when we consider what is pleasurable our th oughts delve towards the emotionsRead MoreMoral Judgements Are Morally Wrong?2025 Words   |  9 Pagesconsequentialism is the view that actions should be deemed morally right or wrong based on the outcomes an action has. A consequentialist would compare the end results of two different actions and their interest is in the conclusion of the action. Utilitarianism is a branch of consequentialism that believes that the best action is the one that promotes the most utility. This also means that actions need to present the most overall good for all and not just a single person. John Stuart Mill, a nineteenthRead MoreThe Principle Of Utility Explicit That Actions Or Behaviors Are Right1810 Words   |  8 Pagesin so far because they motivate contentment or pleasure, wrong as they tend to develop unhappiness or sadness. Therefore, usefulness is a teleological principle. This once again gives rise to some of the similar fundamental issues concerned with hedonism, as discussed in the earl ier section on Teleological Hypothesis. Recall a memory that a pleasure-seeker believes that the good life constitutes only in the pursuit and experience of pleasure or contentment. The feelings of contentment and sadness

Autism †General Overview of Autism Free Essays

General Overview of Autism What is Autism? Autism is defined as a disorder of early development that causes severe problems in thinking, communicating with others, and feeling a part of the outside world (Autism 2009). A person diagnosed with autism has a brain abnormality that affects normal brain function (Nordquist 2009). Most diagnoses of autism are usually never the same, even though, the symptoms are generally similar. We will write a custom essay sample on Autism – General Overview of Autism or any similar topic only for you Order Now Autism must not be confused with childhood schizophrenia or mental retardation, though the actions of children with these circumstances are sometimes related to that of autistic children (Autism 2009). Autism prevents children from developing normal social relationships, even with their parents (Autism 2009). Infants and Autism Autism is generally not diagnosed until two or three years old, but there is an extremely controversial argument on whether or not it could be diagnosed in infants. According to Canadian researchers, they could already see signs and symptoms of autism in infants at approximately six months old (Boyles 2005). The researchers believe that the infant is already predisposed with abnormal brain development inside their mother’s womb. The infants that Canadian researchers experimented were only limited to families that already had an older child born with autism (Boyles 2005). According to research conducted in an article of Developmental Psychology, it is not possible to diagnose and infant with autism (Charman et al. ,1997). The researchers conducted a study on thirty eight boys, separated into three different groups: Autism Risk Group, Developmental Delay Group, and Normal Group. The studies were based upon four different criteria: Empathy, Pretend Play, Joint Attention, and Imitation (Charman et al. 1997). Based on their results, it was not evident t to say whether or not a child could be diagnosed with Autism. This based upon the findings that children in the autism group and children in the developmental delay group were indistinguishable and the scorings were far too similar (Charman et al. , 1997) In another study conducted by Dalery et al. , they compared young children and infants who were clinically dia gnosed with autism or developmental delay (DD). The researchers were trying to differentiate whether the existence of symptoms of autism making it possible to be a different developmental disorder and whether or not the symptoms increase with age (Dalery et al. 2006). In the results from children under 26 months, the findings were insignificant and eerily similar to the experiment conducted by Chairman et al. They were unable to determine if the clear signs of developmental delay or autism were definite (Dalery et al. 2006). Symptoms of Autism Children diagnosed with Autism act differently from one another and no two autistic children have the same symptoms or act the same (CDC 2007). Children with Autism have severe impairments with social, emotional, and communication skills. Some have difficulty accomplishing everyday tasks and have to maintain a consistent day to day routine (CDC 2007). A symptom of autism that affects many autistic children is they have an intricate time holding a conversation. Thus, they tend to have a hard time making friends because of this impairment (CDC 2007). Another symptom of autism is repetitive behavior. This causes a stimulating effect on the child (CDC 2007). For example, a child may consistently rock back and forth, or flip the pages of a book over and over again. Autistic children have a difficult time managing in an everyday life. Once a child is diagnosed with autism, (usually between the ages of 2-4), it stays with them for the remainder of their lives (CDC 2007). With the various symptoms of autism, repetitive behavior seems to be the most consistent symptom that is distinguishable in almost all autistic patients (Gray et al. 1995). To determine whether or not this is true, research was conducted in Australia. The researchers wanted to determine if repetitive behavior was a distinguishable sign of autism in children less than 51 months. Since there are many different types of repetitive behavior, the different types were classified into two categories: higher and lower levels of repetitive behavior (Gray et al. 1995). According to Gray et al. , higher level repetitive behavior is highly consistent with autistic children under the age of 51 months. Low level repetitive behavior was not a direct diagnosis with autism. A significant number of children with other developmental delay disorders often demonstrated aspects of lower level repetitive behavior (Gray et al. 1995). Autism and Public Schooling When a parents makes the decision to enroll their autistic child into public school, it is often a difficult decision. Sometimes the decision is made because the parent does not have the means to send their child to a school specialized for autistic children. Other times it is because many autistic designed schools only accept unique or extreme cases and their child do not meet the requirements (Rudy 2009). Even though a public school is required to give adequate education to a child with a learning disability, how does the parent know what is adequate to the teacher (Rudy 2009)? A positive aspect of public schools is that children with autism can interact with normal developing peers. Researchers argue that this type of interaction may â€Å"provide opportunities for building relationships and developing social and communicative behaviors, in response both to the demands made by mainstream peers and the modeling their behavior provides (Whitaker 2004). † In a study conducted by Whitaker, the mainstream peers developed a routine with the autistic children. The mainstream peers seemed to understand and learn the routines of the autistic peer. Whether or not the autistic child received any awareness or pleasure from this type of interaction was harder to detect, even though they appeared to be enjoying themselves (Whitaker 2004). Parents of Children with Autism It is devastating for a parent to learn that their child has a severe health problem or developmental disability (Parenting a Child with Autism 2007). The first question that arises is, â€Å"How can we cure it? †, but autism is not â€Å"curable†. In the beginning, parents often find some kind of support to help them cope with the discovery or having an autistic child. They also need to educate themselves as much as possible and decide what is best for the child (Parenting a Child with Autism 2007). D. E. Gray conducts a study to see how parents of autistic children cope with their child’s illness over time. Between 1988 and 1990, he begins his study and the sample included 28 parents of autistic children. In the beginning, parents used 51 different methods to cope with the discovery of their child’s illness. D. E. Gray followed-up with these parents 8-12 years later and the methods parents used decreased dramatically to 27. Parents learned to cope with their child’s autism throughout time. Maybe this was due to the fact that the child had become less disruptive and was more orderly in their habits (D. E. Gray 2006). It also may have been due to the fact that their children were enrolled in special schools (only one was enrolled in public schools). In the beginning, parents still had to adapt to the changes in their environment and with their child. As their emotional distress decreased, so did their need for emotional support (D. E. Gray 2006). Conclusion While the causes of autism remain a great mystery, one fact is certain: Autism affects every area of learning throughout the child‘s life. Until research on autism provides more information about how autism affects the human brain, children and their parents who are affected will be unable to understand and fully deal with this disability. It is only with more information that we will learn the best approach to teach autistic children and tackle this disability head on. How to cite Autism – General Overview of Autism, Papers

Higgins Essay Example For Students

Higgins Essay Higgins is a strong-minded individual, a man who takes charge and givesorder. He is just like my principal at school. She is a doctor and knowswhat she is doing and how to do it. The both know how to minuplate somebodyelse into believing them. They also know how to get people to do what theywant to do because they are smart and strong. That was they both are likethe same because they want respect and one way to get that is to giverespect and after they get respect they get the power and encouragementfrom their peers to listen to what they have to say. One way Higgins is a strong minded individual is because he practicesand reads a lot. He also writes stuff down and make sure he has someunderstanding in what he is getting hisself into. Also he is demanding heknows what he wants and he likes to get right down to the point. He doesntlike to beat around the bush and that what makes him an strong mindedindividual. On the other hand my principal is some what they same. Shelikes to look at stuff and examine what is going on before she reacts onsomething. If she believe something is going on she doesnt go histaracalbut she actually wants to go look for her self before she judges anything. That what makes her an strong minded individual. They both are people who are good and knows what they wants out oflife. That is why I compared both of them together because Higgins is anold time figure and my principal is my modern figure of someone that takescharge and leads people into doing good. The both are well respected anddoesnt like a lot of problems going on and likes to deal with things in anhead to head manner.