Elements of Moral Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Elements of Moral Philosophy - Essay Example The utilitarian primary goal is to maximize happiness. John Mill defined happiness as an existence exempt as far as possible from pain and highest possible enjoyment in both quality and quantity. In other words, if people want to embrace utilitarianism moral viewpoint, they would consider these principles to be morally binding. He claims that happiness is a foundation of morality since people desire to be happy. He also supports the claim, arguing that everything that human desires are to bring happiness. Mill argues that justice is based on utility since the rights are put in place for the human happiness. However, there is no agreement about the goals as people view happiness with considerable disagreement. People from varying cultural background may disagree more profoundly with these views. Utilitarian do not put more emphasis on the importance of motive when analyzing the moral of the action. Motives may be acceptable for an action if they deliver a positive outcome and overall best consequences. For instance, an individual may rescue people from an accident to get recognition; however, this does not take away from the good outcome. However, this theory has been criticized by arguing that happiness is not the only important thing. Critics argue that the theory does not provide enough protection for individual rights, as well as not everything cannot be measured by the same standards. Other issues have not been considered such as rights, justice, depression personal relationships, and neglecting our normal lives.