Ethical Theories :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Ethical Theories Hedonism and self-realization are ethical theories that take roots in the works of Greek philosophers and that developed many branches throughout the human history. Hedonism is based on the recognition of pleasure (or happiness) and avoidance of pain as an ultimate goal of any human being and thus establish a moral ground for one’s acting in striving to be happy. In early stages, hedonism took individualistic forms of Cyrenaic and Epicurean theories. In order to lead a good life, the Cyrenaics propose to actively seek intense momentary pleasure (of any duration) from our everyday life maintaining that pleasures of our senses and the body are preferable to pleasures derived from the mind. In contrast to Cyrenaics, the Epicurean theory denies active seeking of pleasure in favor of avoidance of pain (in fact, Epicurean view defines pleasure as avoidance of pain) and stresses the importance of long-run mental contentment in life. While Cyrenaics and Epicureans sought pleasure only for themselves exercising individualistic hedonism, Stuart Mill’s theory is an example of universalistic hedonism which takes into account not only the pleasure people can gain for themselves but also how those pleasure-seeking actions affect other individuals and society in general and whose ultimate goal is to increase the amount of happiness for humankind as a whole. Specifically, Stuart Mill adhered to the theory of utilitarianism (a social hedonism) that states that moral actions are right if they produce â€Å"the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of persons.† The significance of his work is in introduction of the qualitative aspect of pleasure into utilitarianism. According to Mill, there are different kinds of pleasure and the more desirable of any two kinds is the one that is agreed to be more valuable or desirable for the majority of people who experienced both. The intellectual pleasure d erived from art, music, etc. is considered to be higher than physical pleasure derived from sex, eating, etc. Based on the classification of different kinds of pleasure performed by experts the moral values of the society can be developed and then followed by everyone. To avoid immoral actions that can be justified as means of maximizing happiness, Mill adheres to rule-utilitarian view which states that an action is right if it is based on a rule that maximizes happiness of the affected population as opposed to act-utilitarianism that evaluates the action itself. For example, a rule of helping others maximizes happiness in general so we should follow this rule. Ethical Theories :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays Ethical Theories Hedonism and self-realization are ethical theories that take roots in the works of Greek philosophers and that developed many branches throughout the human history. Hedonism is based on the recognition of pleasure (or happiness) and avoidance of pain as an ultimate goal of any human being and thus establish a moral ground for one’s acting in striving to be happy. In early stages, hedonism took individualistic forms of Cyrenaic and Epicurean theories. In order to lead a good life, the Cyrenaics propose to actively seek intense momentary pleasure (of any duration) from our everyday life maintaining that pleasures of our senses and the body are preferable to pleasures derived from the mind. In contrast to Cyrenaics, the Epicurean theory denies active seeking of pleasure in favor of avoidance of pain (in fact, Epicurean view defines pleasure as avoidance of pain) and stresses the importance of long-run mental contentment in life. While Cyrenaics and Epicureans sought pleasure only for themselves exercising individualistic hedonism, Stuart Mill’s theory is an example of universalistic hedonism which takes into account not only the pleasure people can gain for themselves but also how those pleasure-seeking actions affect other individuals and society in general and whose ultimate goal is to increase the amount of happiness for humankind as a whole. Specifically, Stuart Mill adhered to the theory of utilitarianism (a social hedonism) that states that moral actions are right if they produce â€Å"the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of persons.† The significance of his work is in introduction of the qualitative aspect of pleasure into utilitarianism. According to Mill, there are different kinds of pleasure and the more desirable of any two kinds is the one that is agreed to be more valuable or desirable for the majority of people who experienced both. The intellectual pleasure d erived from art, music, etc. is considered to be higher than physical pleasure derived from sex, eating, etc. Based on the classification of different kinds of pleasure performed by experts the moral values of the society can be developed and then followed by everyone. To avoid immoral actions that can be justified as means of maximizing happiness, Mill adheres to rule-utilitarian view which states that an action is right if it is based on a rule that maximizes happiness of the affected population as opposed to act-utilitarianism that evaluates the action itself. For example, a rule of helping others maximizes happiness in general so we should follow this rule.