Philosophy Reaction/Journal: Utilitarianism

Philosophy Reaction/Journal: Utilitarianism
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Philosophy Reaction/Journal: Utilitarianism
The ethical theory of utilitarianism has been subject to a range of criticism. In his work, Louis P. Pojman, explains the basis on which the theory has been attacked and some of the possible responses to defend this appealing system of thinking (Pojman, n.d). Kantian system of ethics is a deontological theory that opposes Stuart Mill’s philosophy by focusing on the reasons for an action irrespective of the consequences.
Mill’s ethical theory of utilitarianism focuses exclusively on the results and defends that the ultimate principle of morality is that an action can only be good if it produces as much happiness as possible, with each individual accounted for equally (Pojman, n.d). Mill uses the term “happiness” to mean pleasure or the absence of pain. Therefore, if an action can derive pleasure without pain to an individual, then that action is good. However, Kantian ethics does not focus on the results, but rather on the reasons for such an act, which yields the ...