Utilitarianism and Aristotelian Ethics - 1826 Words

Utilitarianism and Aristotelian Ethics John Stuart Mill and Aristotle are two of the most notable philosophers in history to date. Between Mill’s Utilitarianism and Aristotle’s virtue ethics you can see a large portion our cultures ethics today. Their philosophies are apparent in contemporary everyday life. Aristotle has written several pieces on virtue and friendship. The two most notable works being the Magna Moralia and the Eudemian Ethics. However, his Nicomachean Ethics were by far the most notable thing written from Aristotle’s teachings. His Nicomachean Ethics are made up of ten books, which are a combination of Aristotle’s lecture notes and his students’ notes from the Lyceum. Mill has written a number of works also,†¦show more content†¦For example, a firefighter finds great pleasure in rescuing people from fires, but he often incurs injury due to the conditions of fire. It seems that his pleasure is more important than his pain and that the first is not always possible without the second. Additionally, it is reasonable that the firefighter would not live a fulfilling, complete, happy life if he were not a firefighter. It is plausible to say that in order to achieve pleasure in this life that one must endure pain also. It seems that pleasure is not merely the absence of pain, but more importantly, the way in which one experiences it. Pleasure is an important component to happiness, but it is not, according to the utilitarian would say, all that encompasses happiness. Mill is correct to say that certain pleasures are better or more fulfilling than others. Evil pleasures such as masochism do not lend themselves to the happiness one thinks they are receiving, because they violate another large component of happiness†¦virtuous living. It is rash to suggest that living virtuously and living happily are independent of one another†¦they must unite. Aristotle’s notion of happiness or eudemonia hinges on the idea of mental astuteness, specifically defined as, â€Å"the good of man is activity of the soul in accordance with excellence.† (Glassen) Aristotle believed in two types of human flourishing: practical moral excellences through virtue and contemplative,Show MoreRelatedEthics, Kantian, And Aristotelian Theory959 Words   |  4 Pages Buddhist ethics, although likened to some Western ethical theories, is not in fact the same as those theories. The most common Western theories it is compared with are; Utilitarianism, Kantian, and Aristotelian. Specifically, Utilitarianism does not address the meaning of being a good person in its definition of right action. Kant does not address the different classes as having different laws but believes in one set of universal laws and Aristotle believes in t he perfection of a self that doesRead MoreMoral Theories Can Help Justify The Decisions That Are Made882 Words   |  4 Pagesshould be aware of are: Utilitarian, Kantian, Aristotelian and Feminist. Utilitarian Utilitarianism is based on maximizing human welfare, it is seen as the only way to determines the rightness of actions (Duignan, 2015). Furthermore, theory is in opposition to egoism, the view that a person should pursue his own self-interest, even at the expense of others, and to any ethical theory that regards some acts or types of acts (Duignan, 2015). Utilitarianism is said to be a strict relationship betweenRead MorePhilosophical Analysis of Aristotle883 Words   |  4 PagesAristotle Many theorists consider Aristotle to be the first person to use the term â€Å"ethics† in naming the field of study that had already been subject to develop by his predecessors Socrates and Plato. Philosophical ethics attempts in offering the rational response to the questions regarding how the human beings live. Aristotle used to be regarding politics and ethics as two related but very separate field of study because ethics examines the good concerning an individual, while politics is about examiningRead Moreâ€Å"How Would Aristotle Respond to Utilitarianism?†1087 Words   |  5 PagesShort Paper 2 â€Å"How would Aristotle respond to Utilitarianism?† How would Aristotle respond to Utilitarianism? 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Using John Stuart Mills concept of utilitarianism, he focuses on the greatest happiness principle which helps us understand his perspective on torture and whether he believes it is acceptable to do so, and Aristotle uses the method of virtue of ethics to helps us better understand if he is for torture. The term torture sh all be determined by exploring both philosophers’Read MoreThe Legal Ethics Of The Unlicensed Engineer Essay1349 Words   |  6 Pagesfundamental and pertinent issues on ethical standards and morality. Needless to say, ethics and morals ought to plays an imperative role in all decision-making processes of all professions. It is, therefore, paramount for Engineers to guarantee all things are done flawlessly, without even raising a shadow of a doubt. The case of the unlicensed engineer is of foremost, one of the ethical erroneous deed. More so, morality and ethics are not just about whether or not one puts money before safety. 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