Kumquat May
New member
What is Morality?
Nowadays, in our rapidly changing society, many established principles of action and standarRAB of judgment are inapplicable. Therefore, the principle of morality is necessary for people to guide themselves to resolve the conflicts rationally. Morality is often classed as a respect for manners and customs. The moral action is that which is acceptable to the others, and mainly the majority of our society. Therefore, the task of morality is to clarify the rules and standarRAB which implicit in our common judgments. It provides nothing more than the clarification of what we already know in a more ethical and reasonable way.
The study of moral philosophy is related to the contemporary practice of the behavior for human begins. By a simple definition, morality is the conformity to the conduct of the rules. It answers for what is right or wrong. Besides, it also tells the individual for how to behave in order to be a good person. Morality is the guide-line for how we ought to live, and it is also the standard for people to evaluate for happiness.
Most of the source for morality is evaluate by many moral theories. Those theories show the conduct of right and wrong, and command people for a proper behavior. Toward most of the moral theories, the best known theory to define morality is utilitarianism.
The approach of utilitarianism is that for what is useful is consider to be good, and the ethical value of conduct is determined by the utility of its result. According to the utilitarianism, what makes an action morally worthy is not so much why it is done, but what it is done. Therefore, the term utilitarianism is applied to the objective of moral action is to perform the greatest happiness for the greatest nuraber of people.
The history of Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism was first introduced by the British theologian William Paley in his Principle of Moral and Political Philosophy (1785) and by the British jurist and philosopher Jeremy Bentham in his Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789). Bentham introduced the utilitarian theory as a foundation of legal and political reforms. He suggests that people must determine which of the states of affairs that can bring about will result in the greatest overall pleasure. This is the best state of affairs, and the right action is the action that brings about this state of affairs. After Bentham, other thinkers who interpret utilitarianism were the British jurist John Austin (1790-1859) and the British philosophers James Mill and John Stuart Mill. Austin set the utilitarian theory in his Province of Jurisprudence Determined (1832). For James Mill, he popularized the theory in a nuraber of articles. Most of his works are in the Westminster Review. His son, John Stuart Mill, had given a more precise definition of utilitarianism, and had become one of the most greatest philosopher later on. In his essay, he defined utilitarianism as:
Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to promote the reverse of happiness. ( Utilitarianism, p.7 ) (1)
Euthanasia
Euthanasia is one of the most arguable problems in medical ethics. Euthanasia is not a new issue, it has been discussed in both Western and Eastern back in the early historical times till to the present. The new technology and medicine have the capability to extend life. Therefore, the problem for whether euthanasia is ethical has become more arguable than in the past.
Euthanasia is a way of granting mercy killing for persons suffering from an incurable and painful disease. The purpose for the mercy killing is to end any pain or suffering for the patients.
The principle of the moral philosophy has told us that killing people is wrong. Since killing people is consider to be immoral, therefore, euthanasia is against to the moral rule. The Western moralists, from Saint Augustine to the present day, they have summarized this interpretation by saying that the intentional killing of the innocent is always wrong. (2) According to those moral theories, the mercy killing is certainly forbidden. However, utilitarian would have a different point of view in this issue. They regard that suffering is the greatest evil, and it should be avoid at any cost. In The Sanctity of Life and the Criminal Law, Glanville Williams argued the liberal tradition stemming from the Enlightenment, that natural rights, including the right to life, belong to each individual to be exercised at will. (3) Therefore, in order to respect the will of the patients and to end suffering which has been already occurred, it is always a moral act to proceed the mercy killing. In the Principles of Medical Ethics, the set of general guidelines issued in 1982 by the American Medical Association, has a paragraph which explained the treatment of hopeless or terminal cases:
For humane reasons, with informed consent a physician may do what is medically indicated to alleviate severe pain, or cease or omit treatment to let a terminally ill patient die, but he should not intentionally cause death. (4)
In many cases, the patients will die whether or not the treatments are performed. Utilitarians agree that quality of life is a factor to be considered in determining what is best for the individual, and that the prolongation of life can sometimes be inhumane and unconscionable. (5) Therefore, according to the theory of the utilitarianism, mercy killing is not always wrong, and people should overcome its moral judgment on the issue of euthanasia.
Who am I ?
We are living in an imperfect world. In reality, the desires of many people have made our world in full with sins and unfairness. Money and power have become the standard of valuing people. People are depressing and living under many pressures.
In respect for being a human in this world, I think our goal should be giving out our best performance to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest nuraber. The concept of utilitarianism has free our soul, and answered the responsibilities for being a human in this world. Utilitarianism had been practiced in our society throughout many years since it was first introduced by Jeremy Bentham and William Paley. Even though not everyone would agree the theories that most utilitarians had mentioned, people still used the idea of greatest happiness as moral codes to improve their characters.
Life is nothing but a stage. Everybody give their best performance for their dreams. The theory of utilitarianism has promoted to us for the importance of happiness. I think this theory is the most reliable method for people to understand life, and it is also the only way to achieve for other desirable values. According to utilitarianism, everybody is living happily and our world can be a Utopian Dream. Therefore, I think utilitarianism can best define the meaning of morality, and we should accept it as the best way to follow.
Nowadays, in our rapidly changing society, many established principles of action and standarRAB of judgment are inapplicable. Therefore, the principle of morality is necessary for people to guide themselves to resolve the conflicts rationally. Morality is often classed as a respect for manners and customs. The moral action is that which is acceptable to the others, and mainly the majority of our society. Therefore, the task of morality is to clarify the rules and standarRAB which implicit in our common judgments. It provides nothing more than the clarification of what we already know in a more ethical and reasonable way.
The study of moral philosophy is related to the contemporary practice of the behavior for human begins. By a simple definition, morality is the conformity to the conduct of the rules. It answers for what is right or wrong. Besides, it also tells the individual for how to behave in order to be a good person. Morality is the guide-line for how we ought to live, and it is also the standard for people to evaluate for happiness.
Most of the source for morality is evaluate by many moral theories. Those theories show the conduct of right and wrong, and command people for a proper behavior. Toward most of the moral theories, the best known theory to define morality is utilitarianism.
The approach of utilitarianism is that for what is useful is consider to be good, and the ethical value of conduct is determined by the utility of its result. According to the utilitarianism, what makes an action morally worthy is not so much why it is done, but what it is done. Therefore, the term utilitarianism is applied to the objective of moral action is to perform the greatest happiness for the greatest nuraber of people.
The history of Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism was first introduced by the British theologian William Paley in his Principle of Moral and Political Philosophy (1785) and by the British jurist and philosopher Jeremy Bentham in his Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789). Bentham introduced the utilitarian theory as a foundation of legal and political reforms. He suggests that people must determine which of the states of affairs that can bring about will result in the greatest overall pleasure. This is the best state of affairs, and the right action is the action that brings about this state of affairs. After Bentham, other thinkers who interpret utilitarianism were the British jurist John Austin (1790-1859) and the British philosophers James Mill and John Stuart Mill. Austin set the utilitarian theory in his Province of Jurisprudence Determined (1832). For James Mill, he popularized the theory in a nuraber of articles. Most of his works are in the Westminster Review. His son, John Stuart Mill, had given a more precise definition of utilitarianism, and had become one of the most greatest philosopher later on. In his essay, he defined utilitarianism as:
Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to promote the reverse of happiness. ( Utilitarianism, p.7 ) (1)
Euthanasia
Euthanasia is one of the most arguable problems in medical ethics. Euthanasia is not a new issue, it has been discussed in both Western and Eastern back in the early historical times till to the present. The new technology and medicine have the capability to extend life. Therefore, the problem for whether euthanasia is ethical has become more arguable than in the past.
Euthanasia is a way of granting mercy killing for persons suffering from an incurable and painful disease. The purpose for the mercy killing is to end any pain or suffering for the patients.
The principle of the moral philosophy has told us that killing people is wrong. Since killing people is consider to be immoral, therefore, euthanasia is against to the moral rule. The Western moralists, from Saint Augustine to the present day, they have summarized this interpretation by saying that the intentional killing of the innocent is always wrong. (2) According to those moral theories, the mercy killing is certainly forbidden. However, utilitarian would have a different point of view in this issue. They regard that suffering is the greatest evil, and it should be avoid at any cost. In The Sanctity of Life and the Criminal Law, Glanville Williams argued the liberal tradition stemming from the Enlightenment, that natural rights, including the right to life, belong to each individual to be exercised at will. (3) Therefore, in order to respect the will of the patients and to end suffering which has been already occurred, it is always a moral act to proceed the mercy killing. In the Principles of Medical Ethics, the set of general guidelines issued in 1982 by the American Medical Association, has a paragraph which explained the treatment of hopeless or terminal cases:
For humane reasons, with informed consent a physician may do what is medically indicated to alleviate severe pain, or cease or omit treatment to let a terminally ill patient die, but he should not intentionally cause death. (4)
In many cases, the patients will die whether or not the treatments are performed. Utilitarians agree that quality of life is a factor to be considered in determining what is best for the individual, and that the prolongation of life can sometimes be inhumane and unconscionable. (5) Therefore, according to the theory of the utilitarianism, mercy killing is not always wrong, and people should overcome its moral judgment on the issue of euthanasia.
Who am I ?
We are living in an imperfect world. In reality, the desires of many people have made our world in full with sins and unfairness. Money and power have become the standard of valuing people. People are depressing and living under many pressures.
In respect for being a human in this world, I think our goal should be giving out our best performance to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest nuraber. The concept of utilitarianism has free our soul, and answered the responsibilities for being a human in this world. Utilitarianism had been practiced in our society throughout many years since it was first introduced by Jeremy Bentham and William Paley. Even though not everyone would agree the theories that most utilitarians had mentioned, people still used the idea of greatest happiness as moral codes to improve their characters.
Life is nothing but a stage. Everybody give their best performance for their dreams. The theory of utilitarianism has promoted to us for the importance of happiness. I think this theory is the most reliable method for people to understand life, and it is also the only way to achieve for other desirable values. According to utilitarianism, everybody is living happily and our world can be a Utopian Dream. Therefore, I think utilitarianism can best define the meaning of morality, and we should accept it as the best way to follow.