Utilitarian Moral Theory Essay Example for Free

Utilitarian Moral Theory Essay Present in your own words the basic elements of a utilitarian moral theory. Utilitarianism is established as a theory promoting increasing utility and especially the happiness of as many people as possible. Utilitarian’s believe the function of morality as a social institution, is to advocate humans well-being by increasing welfare and decreasing damage. Thus, moral rules are regarded as a way to accomplish individual needs and meet social aims. The first basic element of a utilitarian moral theory is The Principle of Utility. In which, it’s important to understand that behaviours are considered correct when they foster happiness and wrong when they spread unhappiness. The public benefits of health care, research, medicine and so on should be maximised. The second element is A Theory of Value, in which utilitarians consider what is good as happiness, fulfilment of wants and ambitions and achieving conditions such as liberty, understanding, security, health and deep relationships with loved ones. Utilitarians tend to look into production of good as an innate value, which doesn’t differ among people. Hedonistic approaches conceive that only happiness can be inherently good, conversely pluralistic approaches believe that values other than happiness have worth such as personal victory, knowledge, friendship, autonomy, love and culture. Since the hedonistic and pluralistic approaches tend to clash, many utilitarians define good as being an object or substance that is subjectively coveted and wanted. The third element, Consequentialism means that actions are only seen as right when the results of actions are good not when the intent of actions is good. It doesn’t mean that future results should be foreseen, only that when judging the cause of an action it should be ensured that the consequence of that action endeavours to generate the best utilitarian conclusion. The last element is Impartiality which means all parties concerned in an action must be considered impartially. From a moral perspective people should receive unbiased judgement regardless of their gender, race and disabilities. This utlilitarian theory comes under general normative ethics. There are many elements of utilitarianism but the four described above are the most important ones and must be met for the sake of permitting a utilitarian theory.

The Ghost of Christmas Present :: Essays Papers

The Ghost of Christmas Present Christmas has consumed itself. At its conception, it was a fine idea, and I imagine that at one point its execution worked very much as it was intended to. These days, however, its meaning has been perverted; its true purpose ignored and replaced with a purpose imagined by those who merely go through the motions, without actually knowing why they do so. Christmas was originally supposed to be a celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Modern historians suggest that Christ was actually born sometime in April, but that is hardly the point; the point is that a day on which to celebrate his birth and life was needed, and so one was chosen. During the season surrounding this holiday -- especially since it coincided with that of other, similar holidays -- it was thought right to honor Jesus by acting as he did, i.e., in a kind, generous, and forgiving manner. Out of this sprung the custom of giving gifts to loved ones on this holiday. However, as may be expected from our modern society, the custom of giving gifts quickly turned into the practice of exchanging them. If one gives gifts to loved ones at Christmas, the reasoning goes, then those who do not receive gifts from a person are obviously not loved by him/her. So each individual now is required to give a gift to all of his/her friends, or risk communicating to them that s/he no longer loves them -- or perhaps never did! Also, there arises another problem when someone gets a gift from a person to whom they did not give one. The logic here is that the one who gave the gift obviously has a greater love for or places a greater value on the friendship than the one who did not. A decidedly awkward situation arises from this, one can imagine. Gift-giving nowadays is no longer an act of kindness, but rather a political measure, taken to ensure one’s status with one’s acquaintances. While the general feeling of "goodwill towards men" still pervades the season, albeit filtered through television and municipal decorating projects, there is a great tension that precedes the actual Christmas holiday itself. I remember Christmases of my youth as enjoyable times, to be sure, but also as times when it was best to stay clear of my mother, who was inevitably in

IB Interesting Facts Essay

1968, IB, standing for the International Baccalaureate, has been founded as a non-profit educational organization at the International School of Geneva. It was created by teachers at the school, in addition to help from teachers from all over the world. Today, the International Baccalaureate has grown into a university preparatory program that has been divided, in most schools, into three programs for students as young as 3 years old to students 19 years old. †¢It was first created to accommodate English and French. †¢It is aimed at developing a global awareness for its students. In other words, students learn how to accept global cultures, perspectives. †¢IB first originated in private schools. Over the years, this changed so that nearly fifty-percent of all schools providing the International Baccalaureate would be government owned and thus free of tuition. †¢The fact that many governments all over the world have adopted the International Baccalaureate shows the confidence that they have that their future generations will truly be better off in this type of curriculum. †¢It was through the efforts of Alec Peterson (director of the Department of Educational Studies, Oxford University) that universities recognized the International Baccalaureate. †¢At first, in the beginning of the 1980s, the International Baccalaureate was viewed as a threat from some governments all over. Governments believed that the International Baccalaureate would draw their children away from their national educational systems. †¢However, this idea was later refuted and the International Baccalaureate was viewed as a enhancement to their educational systems and was later adopted at a very rapid rate. †¢Today, people who acquire the International Baccalaureate get accepted to the top universities all over the globe (in North America, Europe, UK, etc) †¢IBO, in 1994 founded the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program for students aged eleven to sixteen. †¢In 1997, IBO created the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, which is aimed at creating well-rounded and cultured students whom are three to eleven years old. Works Cited â€Å"IB Timeline.† IBO. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. .

Bernard Cornwells Sharpe Books in Chronological Order

Bernard Cornwells books about the adventures of British soldier Richard Sharpe during the Napoleonic Wars have been enjoyed by millions, mixing – as they do – a combination of action, combat, and historical research. However, readers can have difficulty putting the many volumes into chronological order, especially as the author has written many prequels and sequels. The following is the correct historical order, although they all stand alone. As youll see by scanning below, the Sharpe series now begins with adventures in India, before moving on to the Napoleonic setting that made Cornwells name; theres also a post-Napoleonic book at the end. All of which begs the question, where is it recommended you start? If you intend to read the whole series, then starting with Sharpes Tiger is a good idea because you can then go through in order as Sharpe grows. But if you want to see if you like the books, or if you want to jump into the Napoleonic Wars, then we actually recommend Sharpes Eagle. Its a strong story and its quintessential Cornwell. TV Adaptations Its also worth pointing out that the main volumes were all filmed for television in the 1990s. Although the signs of a modest budget are present, these visual adaptions are very good, and the boxset is also highly recommended by me. What might confuse people is there were later television shows using the now older actor, but drawing on the prequel books - none of which are essential. Sharpe in Chronological Order Sharpes Tiger: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Seringapatam, 1799Sharpes Triumph: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803Sharpes Fortress: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Gawilghur, December 1803Sharpes Trafalgar: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Trafalgar, October 1805Sharpes Prey: Richard Sharpe and the Expedition to Copenhagen 1807Sharpes Rifles: Richard Sharpe and the French Invasion of Galicia, January 1809Sharpes Havoc: Richard Sharpe and the Campaign in Northern Portugal, Spring 1809Sharpes Eagle: Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign July 1809Sharpes Gold: Richard Sharpe and the Destruction of AlmeidaSharpes Escape: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Busaco, 1810Sharpes Fury: Richard Sharpe the Battle of BarrosaSharpes Battle: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Fuentes de OÃ ±oro, May 1811Sharpes Company: The Siege of BadajozSharpes Sword: Richard Sharpe and the Salamanca Campaign June and July 1812Sharpes Skirmish (short story): Richard Sharpe and the Defens e of the Tormes, August 1812Sharpes Enemy: Richard Sharpe and the Defense of Portugal, Christmas 1812Sharpes Honour: Richard Sharpe and the Vitoria Campaign, February to June 1813Sharpes Regiment: Richard Sharpe and the Invasion of France, June to November 1813Sharpes Christmas (short story)Sharpes Siege: Richard Sharpe and the Winter Campaign, 1814Sharpes Revenge: Richard Sharpe and the Peace of 1814Sharpes Waterloo: Richard Sharpe and the Waterloo Campaign 15 June to 18 June 1815Sharpes Ransom (short story, appears in Sharpes Christmas)Sharpes Devil: Richard Sharpe and the Emperor, 1820-21