Jeremy Bentham: Utilitarianism & Impact on Modern Thinking - Essay Sample

Introduction

Bentham was an English partisan major and theorist. The philosopher is currently known for his unique and famous ethical viewpoint. Utilitarianism is one of the critical belief that he made because it explains deeds regarding penalties. Jeremy Bentham was a citizen of America born in Hounds ditch in London in the year 1748, 15th February. He lived in the error where most alterations in governmental, communal, and economic fields happened. Immanuel Kant is best known in contemporary thinking. Kant criticizes Jeremy's theory on deciding what is wrong and right to do. This piece of work explains the importance of both philosophies. It also elaborates on the weaknesses described by Immanuel concerning Bentham's work.

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Consequently, Jeremy came up with utilitarianism theory basing it on the way of life of man. He related to value and motivational aspects for which they are critical in contributing to pain, suffering, or pleasure in a human being's life. Bentham's idea has three strongholds that make it unique and essential to human nature regarding happiness (Mondal 15). First is the global arrogance; secondly, there is the happiness value, which is the chief element-lastly, the false identification of individuals' interests with those of other people.

Subsequently, utilitarianism philosophy came from the word convenience. The term does not mean value, but it's worth happiness or pleasure. Jeremy shows that anything is high, appreciated only when accompanied with some cheerfulness. The theory illustrates that comfort helps human beings to understand and cope with the various ways of life in the world. Man can appreciate different activities that are carried out in the universe to bring in the succession in life. A sad person does not enjoy the nature of the place, people, and activities around him. Bentham brings in the idea of an increase in the level of self-awareness and esteem when a person stays a happy life. A man can understand his differences with other people; thus, respect and unity are found in a society with happy settlers.

Successively, the second chief characteristic of Jeremy's notion is the deeds are right when they give out gladness and wrong if there is sadness as their result. The higher the degree of joy realized from an act, the better the action is to man. A motive is another factor needed to give the appropriate meaning to the accomplishment. The art of giving has different importance regarding the situation in which the feat has been done. For example, when a politician gives a lot of money to a group of people to convince or attract them to elect him or her (Gustafsson 95). The group will be happy and thankful, but if the funds were given to a needy person in the society such as a sick person, the gladness would be unique. People will be genuinely thankful to the helping hand than when they are inventing happiness from political rally money.

Sequentially, the third element of Bentham's philosophy is that globally every person's happiness is essential. The philosopher campaigned for equal share for each person, and no one should have a big part the others in society. For instance, he rebuked the fact that well off people's lives were more specialized and appreciated than those of the typical dwellers. The discrimination was mostly done on citizens ruled by the able masters. In case of sickness to a rich person in a community, everything almost goes to a lockdown as people praise their deeds and wish a quick recovery to the ailing person. On the other hand, the sickness of a poor dweller is merely recognized by society except by those close to them, such as family members and friends. Primarily, this element advocated for enacting new laws that bring in fairness and justice in the nation for all people regardless of their social, political, and financial class.

Continually Kant is a theorist who comes up with some weakness from Jeremy's philosophy. Kantianism illustrates the importance of considering the aims or apothegms of a specific exploit. The philosopher argues that people are free creatures responsible for rational conduct. This fact is not used to gain gladness for one another. Kant disagrees with Bentham's idea that human beings should get involved in activities that result in total cheerfulness. He argues that this practice turns people into pure beings, which contributes to inhumane behavior of sacrificing some people's lives to get maximum happiness.

Chronologically, Kantian integrities seeks to give more exactness than Jeremy's theory. The truth is that one is in a position to distinguish when an individual is being mistreated in the name of getting better. Kantian looks for the intentions of activity and whether there were some aims suppressed by others in the making of the decision. Utilitarian theory is time consuming compared to Kantianism. The judgment of the best action is done in an orderly manner, which takes a period. Finally, the result of this practice is that less duration is left to obtain gladness.

Necessarily, some crucial aspects of Kant's ethical philosophy make it mindful of people. The thinking developed as a yield of radiance rationalism. The view of the fact is that only intrinsically respectable deed is decent will. This illustrates that an action is only considered pleasant when the motive revolving around it adheres to honest law where everyone is equal. The chief factor of Kant's doctrine is the absolute imperative that serves all humans without looking at their requirements or interests. Universalizability is his attitude that needs an activity to be approved. Thus the action must work on all people with no confusion happening.

Inevitably, Kant's preparation of humankind is the second part of categorical imperious. This elaborates that people are not required to misuse others by looking down upon them as a way to an end. The factors state that people should consider themselves last after taking care of others. The construction of autonomy explains that balanced agents are connected to the right lawyer by their personal will. Kant's thought of the empire of ends needs a human being to do as if the philosophies of their deeds find a requirement for a theoretical territory (Lyons 4). The theorist also differentiated between imperfect and perfect obligations.

Certainly, Immanuel explains a perfect duty as one that upholds honesty; thus, it does not lie. He elaborates on an imperfect duty as one that is elastic and useful in a specific period and habitation. Several logicians say that Kant's teachers and parents contributed to his beliefs. John Rawls, Jurgen Habermas, and Jacques Lacan are academics influenced by Kant's consciences. Habermas came up with a work that elaborates needs are judged on the passage of information between participants. The aims and desires of the people are explained to yield good acceptance by all.

Incredibly, Kant famed the phenomena globe, which is proficient and recognized by man. He also discovered the transcendent biosphere, which is unreachable to people. This showed that even if a human being is guaranteed in an outstanding world, their schedules are unrestricted in the understandable globe. Immanuel advocates that the understanding of people is the root of the standard rules of nature in which the organization of their involvement is formed. Additionally, human causes offer itself an honorable law. This is the foundation for liberty, trust in God, and immortality. Thus, technical knowledge, spiritual belief, and morals are communally dependable and protected. This is because of they are all base on the same source of human sovereignty. This is also the last conclusion of nature rendering to the teleological global view of reproducing decision. Kant announces this to amalgamate the applied and speculative segments of his scientific structure.

Conclusion

In conclusion, people have a different view of activities. This makes the judgment on whether an action is right or not depend on various perspectives. No one is supposed to consider another person's opinion as weak since they have a different basement. Utilitarianism and Kantianism seem to favor each one's opinion and diminish the other person's way of seeing things. Organizations are supposed to enact laws that give room to everyone's decision and opinion. These laws significantly builds the nation's unity and peace. People learn to appreciate and respect each other, knowing that no is one is better than the other.

Works Cited

Mondal, Abdul Latif. "Mill's Critique of Bentham's Utilitarianism." International Journal of Philosophy Study (IJPS) 4 (2016): 13-21.

Lyons, David. "Utilitarianism." Wiley Encyclopedia of Management (2015): 1-4.

Gustafsson, Johan E. "Bentham's binary form of maximizing utilitarianism." British Journal for the History of Philosophy 26.1 (2018): 87-109.