Guide to Mid-Century American Homes, 1930 to 1965

Effectiveness of Utilitarianism as a Modern Moral Theory

For men, there are two avenues to reason. Morality: the appeal to human emotions and a sense of intrinsic good, and logic: the appeal to human understanding of the world. While a number of moral theories exist, none of them is more well documented that Utilitarianism, which focuses on the maximization of total utility. I will discuss the theory initially, and then identify the major problems associated with it. I will conclude with a rationale as to how effective Utilitarianism is as a modern moral theory. Utilitarianism is quite a broad theory, with different constructs. However, the underlying agenda is the same: actions should be aimed such that the greatest good occurs for the greatest number. Theorist Jeremy Bentham can be attributed with the inception of the theory, while later developments were headed by J.S Mills. Utilitarianism takes a quantitative approach to life, and tells us that every action should seek to maximize happiness. John Stuart Mill in his book Utilitarianism, states, In the golden rule of Jesus of Nazareth, we recite the comprehensive spirit of the ethics of utility. To behave as do by others, and to love ones neighbour as oneself, establish the basic rightness of utilitarian morality. The value of an action is only judged by its consequences. In many ways, Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism. Bentham describes Utilitarianism in its simplest form, â€Å"it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right andShow MoreRelat edControversy Between the Existence of God Essay example1451 Words   |  6 Pagesbetween the moral beliefs of secular humanists and the beliefs under study. When one says that the non-existence of God leads to the fact that everything is permitted, one implies that there is a crucial link between the existence of God and morality. In other word, it may be summarized that the statement under study suggests viewing God as the source of morality. This suggestion brings one close to the divine command theory. As one of most well known meta-ethical theories, divine command theory lies inRead MoreCritique Of - Applying Ethical Theories: Interpreting and Responding to Student Plagiarism, Journal of Business Ethics1310 Words   |  6 Pages Manchester Metropolitan University Business School Research Methods Assessment 1: Critical Writing (15%) Granitz, N. and D. Loewy (2007), Applying Ethical Theories: Interpreting and Responding to Student Plagiarism, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 72, pp 293-306. Summary Plagiarism in todays â€Å"copy and paste generation† is an unremitting, complex issue that is not yet fully understood. The paper responds to this proposition with a thesis that understanding the ethical reasoning providedRead MoreThe Pressures on Healthcare Organizations1910 Words   |  8 Pagesincreasing pressure to improve their operations, provide evidence of their continued quality, and the efficiency of the organization. For the modern organization, this means that managers who have traditionally focused on the quality of care now must now change paradigms in mid-stream and review the overall management practice for the sake of effectiveness, patient safety, and even cutting edge techniques (Kujala Lillrank, 2006). In fact, this is so critical that reports from the Institute of MedicineRead More The Fight for Human Rights Essay3126 Words   |  13 PagesMill, Robert Nozick, and John Rawls provide a philosophic framework for evaluating the security-for-rights compromise. Though their respective theories vary greatly in theory and in practice, they provide models to condemn this exchange. Neve rtheless, each differs in the persuasiveness and effectiveness of their tools for argumentation. Mill’s utilitarianism, Nozick’s libertarianism, and Rawls’ egalitarian liberalism reject the tradeoff of security for a majority in exchange for the violation of theRead MoreCriticisms Against Ethical Theories8474 Words   |  34 PagesCriticisms leveled against Ethical Theories 1. Criticisms leveled against Consequentialism. Consequentialism is based on the consequences of actions. It is sometimes called a teleological theory, from the Greek word telos, meaning goal. According to consequentialism, actions are right or wrong depending on whether their consequences further the goal. The goal (or, the good) can be something like the happiness of all people or the spreading of peace and safety. Anything which contributes toRead More A Case Study Depicting the Importance of Ethics in Medicine Essay4544 Words   |  19 Pages‘Work for health requires moral commitment’ (Seedhouse, 2009 p. xiviii). Therefore, the obligation rests on healthcare professionals faced with ethical dilemma in their practice to make moral decision which should promote and enhance health ( Rumbold, 1999; Sim, 1997). Ethics is concerned with the basis on which an action is determined as either right or wrong (Rumbold, 1999; MacIntyre, 2005). Therefore, ethics is the study of morality which is also known as moral philosophy (Sim, 1997; ThompsonRead Moreethical decision making16006 Words   |  65 Pagesthe three ethical dilemmas? What other information would be helpful to know about these situations to make a decision? CHAPTER FOCUS Virtue or Character Ethics Principle-Based Ethics: Developing Moral Rules Utilitarian Theories: Doing the Most Good for the Most People Deontological Theories: Balancing Rights and Obligations Justice in Health Care Values and Health Policy Ethics of Care Ethical Problems Faced by Community Nurses: The Research Ethical Decision Making Service Learning:Read MoreGlobal Marketing Leadership2244 Words   |  9 Pagesfor leaders to consider when creating marketing materials globally? Culturally we are different and should be respected however; cultural differences should be celebrated and adaptive as well if we are going to market businesses globally with effectiveness. Cultural sensitivity is needed but should not be the primary factor to marketing effectively. Cultures divide and create an ethical dilemma when marketing globally. Cultural sensitivity is often a barrier to cultural adaptability when ethics isRead MoreCsr And Organizational Leadership And The Implications For Leadership2879 Words   |  12 Pagessets a minimum of behavioural standard for corporations, below which corporate behaviour becomes socially irresponsible (Campbell, J. L., 2007). Whilst setting a minimum set of behavioural standards for corporations in defining CSR has great merit in theory, applying it across the broad spectrum of corporatio n, may well see it open to abuse as one corporations view of what is harmful to stakeholders may be very different to another’s. For another perspective on CSR, McWilliams and Siegel (2001) haveRead MoreClassical Deterrence Theory : An Examination Essay2749 Words   |  11 Pages Classical Deterrence Theory: An Examination of Four Empirical Studies Testing it and its Utility in the Modern World Natalya E. Zide California State University, Bakersfield Classical Deterrence Theory: An Examination of Four Empirical Studies Testing it and its Utility in the Modern World In the 1700s, crime was rampant across every town in every country. Constables formed small patrols from volunteers in the community and it would not be until 1829 that the first police

Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” Free Essays

They say that God’s way are inscrutable, and this saying characterizes the concept of Flannery O’Connor’s story A Good Man is Hard to Find . The theme of living an empty life and the possibility of revelation for everybody is the main idea of the author. Through telling a simple, sometimes even comical story about common people, their stereotypes and narrow-mindedness she discloses the lack of spirituality in human life. We will write a custom essay sample on Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† or any similar topic only for you Order Now This makes up the theme, which the author intended to raise. Speaking about the setting, it is important to mention that it by genre it can be referred to the so-called road story, which presupposes travel from one place to another – on the special level. But there is always a hidden message behind, which constitutes the figurative level of the narration. We know perfectly that a road is a popular metaphor of life and naturally a person who is moving along this road undergoes a kind of mental and spiritual change. The same is true about Flannery O’Connor’s piece of writing. The journey is from Georgia to Florida with a background of beautiful scenery: â€Å"Stone Mountain; the blue granite that in some places came up to both sides of the highway; the brilliant red clay banks slightly streaked with purple; and the various crops that made rows of green lace-work on the ground. The trees were full of silver-white sunlight and the meanest of them sparkled†.   A family of the Grandmother, her son Bailey with his wife and children make a trip by car a picturesque nature, paying no attention at it at all. The only person who is interested is the elderly lady but for some specific reasons – nostalgia about â€Å"the things as they used to be† and because travel can be educational for kids. Is it the road to heaven or to hell? I will try to answer this question further on. The plot, which forms the external texture of the story seems to be a case of fatal misfortune. The family goes travelling, get into a road accident in a remote area and are caught by a band of serial killer the Misfit who kills the whole family. Therefore, the external movement is from life to death. Internally, however, the direction is the opposite one, from death to life. This implication is embodied first of all in the character of the Grandmother, who has no name in the story. This fact of namelessness proves her to be a typical product of the contemporary society, deprived of any significant individuality. She is selfish, manipulative and full of herself as we meet her first. She is devoted to the past believing that â€Å"People are certainly not nice like they used to be†, the phrase which is not only her life credo but also reflects her attitude to herself. She considers herself to be good and right and does not notice that her values are false. Meeting with the Misfit, feeling herself at the brink of death causes dramatic change within the old woman. There is an irony in the fat that revelation to her is brought in such an unconventional way – through a religious talk with serial killer. But at the same time this is done by the author deliberately to signify some higher wisdom. The Misfit is a peculiar character, his name symbolizing all people’s loneliness and loss and emptiness. They don’t belong to the world God created for them, they mis-fit. And the problem is not like the Grandmother considered that people are not as nice as they used to be. The world we live in is our own reflection. As a matter of fact, the killer and the decent elderly woman who dresses up neatly because she wants to look like a lady in case of being killed in an accident, are not so far away from each other as they might seem to be. They were both brought up in the atmosphere devoid of spirituality and both of them have no God in their soul. The difference is that the Misfit recognizes the fact but the Grandmother doesn’t. She hides herself behind the conventional stereotypes of religion, which lies in habitual going to the church, praying on a regular basis, stealing nothing from the respectable citizens and so on. In a tough situation she first tries to appeal to the religious feelings of the killer but she fails because she is herself being superficial in her faith. That’s why when she tries to pray to Jesus, asking for help, her words come out differently: â€Å"Finally she found herself saying, â€Å"Jesus. Jesus,† meaning, Jesus will help you, but the way she was saying it, it sounded as if she might be cursing†. At this point she realizes that her faith was fake and at this very moment a new opportunity is given to her. Surprisingly, it is the Misfit who opened her eyes and her soul. He himself recognizes he doesn’t believe in God, the only thing which is definite is death. That’s why he thinks that Jesus broke balance when he raised the death. There would have been nothing certain left in the world, even death, if it were true. The misfit expresses an idea, which is very important: without spirituality one might as well â€Å"enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can — by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him.† He means that if you are not willing to accept God’s love, the sin remains the same whether you are doing it small crimes or in big ones. The lives of the Misfit and the Grandmother were equally empty because they rejected salvation, which is possible through love. These seconds are so vitally important and enlightening for the woman that her soul gets completely transformed. She is suddenly filled with that divine love. Looking at the criminal who has killed her family and is going to kill herself, she exclaims: â€Å"†Why, you’re one of my babies!† She realizes that her son and her grandchildren are so empty because she didn’t give them the love she had to, that’s why she realizes that the Misfit is her child in this sense. At the end, when the Misfit kills the old lady, he makes an interesting conclusion, which reveals the idea of the whole story: â€Å"She would of been a good woman,† The Misfit said, â€Å"if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.† The sentence raises an important issue: is it necessary for a person to be on the brink of life and death to realize what was wrong in his or her life? Do the true values reveal themselves from delusions only when you are about to die? Aren’t we too much involved in day-by-day repetition of events to stop and see the truth? Probably we are just too afraid to be nobody, to feel the emptiness? These important questions arise after reading the story. So, is it the road to heaven or to hell? Who knows. Many people believe that a person who has no moral laws inside is free in what he does and feels no remorse about he deeds. At the example of the Misfit we see that the truth is more complex than that. Probably he doesn’t feel remorse, as he has no faith and no God to lean on but the problem is he feels nothing at all. His crimes were intended to be a kind of rebellion against God whom he never had in his life but it is a bitter rebellion. At the end of the story we find out that he feels no fun and no pride challenging God. â€Å"There is no real pleasure in life,† he says. How to cite Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, Essay examples