Essays on Bentham

In order to ensure peace and prosperity of a country, most governments have employed the use of stringent rules and regulations to govern people. However, some people stray away from the common perception of government and embrace anarchy. Anarchy is basically opposite of what the government stands for, anarchism is a political ideology (Carter, 1971) that holds the state undesirable and harmful while advocating for stateless institutions. The view of anarchists stray away from the commons masses and more often they tend to go extreme and cause social disturbance and unrest (Gage, 2009)as was the case of the ...

Utilitarianism can be described as a moral look and defined by consequentialism. It is an ethical theory which states that maximization of utility results in the best action. The utility can be described in different ways, and it mostly terms the well-being of the human beings. According to Jeremy Bentham, who is the founder of utilitarianism, the utility is the addition of all pressure resulting from an action; deduct the suffering of an individual involved in an action (Brian, 1957). The consequences of the action can either be good or bad, and utilitarianism insists of equality interests. Both Bentham ...

The use of animals for scientific research causes numerous debates because of animal suffering, discomfort and importance of the experiment. Researches with animals are provided under controlled conditions, such animals are adapted to the laboratory life (Swart, 2004, 183). The key idea is that such experiments are provided to improve medical progress. From the other side, the use of people for experiments is strongly prohibited, therefore, a limited number of species are used because they have biological and pathological similarity with people. Sufferings in animal experimentation are as low as possible (Swart, 2004, 186). From the other side, animals ...

Historical Origins of Correctional Enterprise

Correctional systems are institutions for rehabilitating criminals. They include prisons and community- based systems. After being convicted in court, criminals may spend time in correctional systems away from friends and family. There are different types of correctional systems classified according to the government level in which they function: private, local, state or federal. They can also be classified according to the level of security, age, and gender (Waldron, et al. 2009). Most correctional systems run Correctional Enterprise programs that provide opportunities for prisoners to learn new skills, be productive, and responsible. This initiative’s objective is to instill values ...

INTRODUCTION

Human civilization has come a long way since it first began establishing communities and attempted to establish law and order. The reality is that there have always been criminals; people who for one reason or another break the laws established and require consequences for their actions. One of the most controversial discussions throughout history is what are the best means to admonish the offenders, protect law-abiding citizens and send a message of deterrence to other would-be offenders. That being said many different approaches to addressing offenders who commit crimes have existed throughout the ancient world to present day. One ...

Introduction

Legal Positivist Theory is a school of thought that states that the law of the nation is one which is created by the members of the society or their representatives and is always determined by the factors surrounding the society rather than its merits and demerits. This theory was developed by Jeremy Bentham and which was later adopted and enhanced by John Austin, which provided that the law is always a set of commands where the ruled in the society are required to adhere to it effectively and religiously. However the major question that brought varying thoughts amongst the ...

There are many different ways to think about how to lead the good life. One of these is Utilitarianism is one of these schools of morality, of which John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham were two of the greatest exponents. This arose as a critique of deontological moral theories, like that of Immanuel Kant. Utilitarians believed that “actions are moral if they produce the greatest benefit” (Week 131 Notes 2); as such, both Mill and Bentham took into account the consequences of the action, not just the action itself, in order to establish that which would lead to the ...

According to the quantitative hedonism theory, the duration, quantity and intensity of all pleasures have equivalent magnitudes of goodness. Bentham argues that the entire life of mankind is ruled by pain or pleasure at any point in time. Pain and pleasure collaboratively dictate what every person is supposed to do. Bentham argues that “nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure”. (Bentham 8)According to this statement, he implies that the whole of life of mankind is usually defined by pleasure or pain at any given time; that if an individual is not ...

According to Pojman (2006), hedonistic utilitarianism is one of the major perspectives of the general notion of utilitarianism. In order to understand its essence, it is imperative to discuss the underlying meaning of utilitarianism as advanced by Pojman (2006) who indicates that it is pegged on the end results rather than the process or means an act is performed, and which is responsible for causing maximum satisfaction to the greatest number of individuals. In this regard, two major views in utilitarianism are fronted by Jeremy Bentham. According to Bentham, utilitarianism adopts two main features, a teleological aspect, and a ...

Prisons are vital in a society since it is part of the country’s criminal justice system. It plays crucial part in ensuring that offenders are brought to justice and that the rule of the law is upheld. It is general knowledge that the prisoners experience gross violations of their basic human rights. The traditional ideas about prisons include appalling suffering and maltreatment of prisoners. However, there are new principles that are applied today changed the environments of prisons. In the US, there are various reformations about prisons that looks upon the context of human rights. Reformation of the ...

The Gender Discrimination in Criminal Justice System

Introduction Traditionally, women have not been viewed as criminals because of their less aggressive nature, making the act of crime to be mainly associated with the male gender. There are several theories brought forth to explain why the female gender would, or would not engage in crime. The theories, however, do not provide satisfactory explanations to the phenomenon leading to counterarguments. Also, the criminal justice of the United States of America has been viewed as discriminatory because it fails to address the gender needs of female offenders whose number has increased over time. This essay discusses the historical perspectives, ...

Utilitarianism is a theory that describes the expected behavior or conduct of an individual for the achievement of the best outcome possible. It entails distinguishing an action as right or wrong depending on whether it results in happiness or sadness respectively. The theory was developed by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham and his economist counterpart John Stuart Mill around the 18th and the 19th century. The theory, in contrast to ethical theories which determine the rightfulness or wrongfulness of without considering its outcome, states that an ill-motivated action can breed a fair result. Mill believes that an act should only ...

Different social theories claim that every behavior can be modified to a better one. Panopticism is one of these theories, which has its origins in the book “Discipline and Punish” by Michel Foucault. The french philosopher spent a lot of years examining human behaviors and trying to find ways how to improve it, make it better and easier for others to understand. He collected his knowledge in the book and presented it to society, which should change after got acquainted with the message of the book. He used the panopticon to illustrate the tendency of subjugating citizens by disciplinary ...

In his article, Nepotism: ‘The Rich Man’s Burden’, Calum Murray makes shocking arguments on his perception towards nepotism. Murray talks about nepotism and the impact it has in the society. He argues that in the modern day and age, experience, and not qualification, is essential in guiding one to secure a job. Having a barren CV is not a guarantee that one will secure a well-paying job. This is the reason why people must invest in activities that will build their experiences in their careers of choice. He notes with a lot of concern that it has become ...

1. In your own words, provide a concise formulation of Utilitarianism. In particular, explain the reasons Bentham and Mill give in support of it. In your own words, provide a concise formulation of Kant’s deontological ethics. In particular, explain the role of the Categorical Imperative in Kantian ethics. In light of the criticisms offered of both accounts, which account is more plausible? Explain why. (70 marks.) Within Utilitarianism it is believed that there is a moral obligation to attain the best world possible. In order to do so, it is necessary to ensure that harm, or what would ...

Introduction

Criminal punishments in the society are approved by many as a necessary action against those who commit crimes. Despite this universal appreciation of punishment, various theories have different justifications for such punishments. The Kantian approach differs from the utilitarianism approach in justifying criminal punishments. This paper analyzes how the Kantian justification for criminal punishment differs from the utilitarian approach,

Research design and Method

This research will be based on the historical concept. It entails analyzing the characteristics of the two theories and determining how best they could justify criminal punishment in the society as a means of punishing unjustified behavior. It will employ ...

21st of April 2016

This social movement unites people with different points of view on the relationship between humans and animals. Maximalist approach adherents believe that we need to waiver farming, animal husbandry, hunting and other ways of using animals for human needs. The main idea can be expressed through a verbal formula: "Man and animals are equal and therefore have equal rights; to kill animals is just as crime, as to kill a person." However, this theory does not hold out to any criticism, as the idea of equality between men and animals is highly irrational. Animal protection extremists, or eco-terrorists affect ...

Proponents of utilitarianism envision a situation where human actions are judged by their consequences. According to Bentham, the best moral action must always maximize utility. Simply put, actions should ensure they bring about the greatest happiness among human beings. An action that does not promote happiness among people therefore does not meet this threshold. Bentham further argues that such actions must involve the two aspects of happiness; quality and quantity. Consequences, therefore, not legality, should form the basis of justification of actions by humans. Stuart Mill supports this proposition by arguing that bringing or increasing pleasure among humans should ...

Retributive rationale and Utilitarian Rationale

In retributive rationale, the idea of retribution is to ensure that an act of wrong is balanced in the form of punishment inflicted on the offender (Blackburn, Fowler and Pollock, 2012). It is important to note that retribution does not involve a revenge mission as the people giving the punishment have been given the authority to do so by law. The process of deciding the punishment to be done on the offender requires a certain specific procedure to be followed (Blackburn, Fowler and Pollock, 2012). The victim cannot be granted the power to provide punishment for the offender as ...

The moral reasoning that falls under the philosophy of Utilitarianism states that a course of action is morally right if greater benefits result than there is harm for the entire population. The end product of greater benefit takes precedence over the morality of how the result was accomplished, as in “the end justifies the means”. Founder Jeremy Bentham’s motto was “The greatest good for the greatest number” (Pitts 65). Deontology is a philosophy that believes that the method of achieving a result should be ethical in addition to the outcome. Unlike Utilitarianism, the morality of a beneficial result ...

Introduction Utilitarianism is a principle that the moral worth of an action is determined by its usefulness in maximizing utility and minimizing negative utility. Utility is the pleasure, preference satisfaction and knowledge. The moral worth of an action is determined by its outcome. In this study we are going to compare Mill, John Stuart’s work 'Utilitarianism’ and Kant, Immanuel’s work 'Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.' The study will also come up with findings based on the comparisons if the end justifies the means. John Mill’s account on Utilitarianism is primarily influenced by Jeremy Bentham ...

School and Classroom Processes:

Whilst researching Attention Hyperactive Deficit Disorder (ADHD), if one thing is immediately clear, it is that the ADHD child needs allowances to be made for their behaviour whilst in the classroom. ADHD is a diagnosis of the American Psychiatric Association and lists symptoms as including inattentiveness, impulsiveness and hyperactivity that are extreme enough to interfere with an individual’s day to day existence. (Lewis & Norwich, p125, 2005) The disorder is known to affect approximately 18,168 of the Hong Kong population, most of whom are male children. (Wrong Diagnosis, 2011) ADHD comes under the heading of ‘Emotional Behavioural Difficulties’ ( ...