This goes back to the tedious task of trying to analyze countless number of alternatives and figure out which one brings about the most. To remember his name, consider that Bentham wanted to calculate benefits. Stoicism and Epicureanism were the two main Hellenistic schools of philosophy (i.e., schools which came after Aristotle). Epicureanism: the view that pleasure, as the chief good, is best achieved through tranquility, which is best achieved by avoiding unnecessary pleasures and seeking only those which will prevent pain, which leaves us with little to fear losing. Everyone's pain and everyone's pleasure are of equal importance. Numerous moral theories have surfaced in the past years. DeWitt, Epicurus and his Philosophy, Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, 1954. Or are things just matter in motion? How does a utilitarian come to a conclusion about what is best? doctrine that the useful is the good; especially as elaborated by Jeremy Bentham and James Mill; the aim was said to be the greatest happiness for the greatest number. The way we learn about rightness and wrongness is also very . Utilitarianism and epicureanism are both subcategories of a type of moral theory called consequentialism. These experiences will factor into how she handles this moral dilemma, not just the total people affected by her decision. Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers II, X, 'Epicurus', tr. It does seem fairly clear, however, that 'maximisation' of pleasure does not capture his view. Act Utilitarianism = Rule Utilitarianism? It is not entirely clear what Epicurus meant by 'pleasure'. 4 (Nov., 2001), pp. One of the primary differences between Stoicism and Epicureanism is how they viewed virtue. Should she opt to keep the company running and have all of her employees able to earn a living instead? What are the differences between Plato and Aristotle's views? This article attempts to highlight the differences between consequentialism and utilitarianism for the benefit of the readers. The doctrine that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the end and aim of all social and political institutions. Suspicious referee report, are "suggested citations" from a paper mill? Ethical Subjectivism: Hume, Spinoza & Santayana, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: Summary & Analysis, Stoicism & The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Divine Command Theory: Definition & Ethics, Thomas Hobbes' The Descriptive Natural Law, Immanuel Kant's Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals, Utilitarian Ethics: Epicurus, Bentham & Mill, Ethical Relativism & Ruth Benedict's Anthropology and the Abnormal, Ethical Absolutism & W.T. Since one of the conditions of friendship is that one takes one's friend's interests into account in their own right, and not simply for one's own benefit, this rules out a strictly egoistic view of friendship and pleasure. He kicks off his text by writing, 'Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. Regina is the owner of a company that produces tables. They both have the same core in hedonism. By this is meant that in making decisions the utilitarian must consider the steps which lead to the highest level of goodness in society. Brad Inwood & L.P. Gerson. Like these two philosophers, I argue that utilitarianism is inadequate because of its contradictory nature as a moral theory. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Regina's question about whether to recall the tables involves both the law and her own feelings. Utilitarianism considers the pleasure and pain of all concerned parties, not just the self (egoistic hedonism) or one's particular group (tribalistic hedonism). Both of these philosophies have their pros and cons. 440-465. Then analyze the appealing and unappealing features to determine if utilitarianism should be followed as an absolute rule. An action that brings about more benefit than harm is good, while an action that causes more harm than benefit is not. Your desk chair, your pencil holder, your favorite coffee mug? . Philosophy Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for those interested in the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. It is the only moral framework that can be used to justify military force or war. I totally agree Utilitarianism explains its position on minimizing pain and maximizing pleasure, whereas Epicureanism doesn't explain it's position on minimizing pain and maximizing pleasure. Explore this idea and learn about the work of three prominent utilitarian thinkers: Epicurus, Jeremy Bentham, and John Stuart Mill. Ethics can be defined as "the conscious reflection on our moral beliefs with the aim of improving, extending or refining those beliefs in some way." We have no control over when this happens and so we should remember that as stoic, accepting things that happen can actually be beneficial to us and those around us. Utilitarianism is more consequence-oriented in character but, deontology is not consequence-oriented in nature. Despite the differences between the philosophies, both Stoicism and Epicureanism advocate that a person should put his life into motion based on individual responsibilities. To the Epicureans, on the other hand, virtue was simply a vehicle for obtaining the highest good: pleasure. Typically, agent-centered theories like Kant's include patient-centered duties, while patient-centered theories like Nozick's often don't include agent-centered duties. The main difference between the philosophies is that Epicureans value pleasure and tranquillity while stoics value virtue and wisdom. In this philosophy, the best action is the one that increases pleasure for the greatest number of people. Question: Question 1 (20 points) We have covered four ethical theories: two ancient, two modern. They had managed to build themselves up to be strong and confident adults who knew how to live their own lives without being bogged down by external pressures or expectations. [Public Domain], Wikimedia Commons Painlessness is the catastematic pleasure of the body and tranquillity is the catastematic pleasure of the soul (or mind). Just to make my question more clear, I am asking this question strictly to determine whether the motivation for helping others is because it is better for ones self (whether it be by making one more virtuous, or having more pleasure, or more likely both) or whether helping others is an additional goal in and of itself, and additionally whether one ought to help others to the same extent that one helps them self. Accept whatever happens to you with humility. Your task for this written response is to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between them, other than being ancient and modern. Epicurus' 'Letter to Menoeceus' sets out his position as follows (Men. There are a few important aspects of this definition. Bernard Williams, in his paper Utilitarianism and Integrity, voices his primary concern in regard to utilitarianism by providing two concrete examples to demonstrate how utilitarianism is only concerned about the consequences of the action and not about the means used to get there. Utilitarians are to believe that if they follow this philosophy, that no matter what action they take, it, Classical utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory which holds that an action can only be considered as morally right where its consequences bring about the greatest amount of good to the greatest number (where 'good' is equal to pleasure minus pain). Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. The company is struggling financially. When life throws at us a difficult situation that we cannot control, we should not give in to stress. Boris Nikolsky, 'Epicurus on Pleasure', Phronesis, Vol. 2 And given the continuing vitality of utilitarianism since that time, Epicurus can still be regarded as the theory's hoariest forerunner. Therefore, this concept treats the intentions or the act itself as irrelevant. Type. Stoicism teaches us that things in life are not always fair and that there are going to be times when were just going to have to let go of something that happened and move on with our lives. Present Day Hedonism When and how was it discovered that Jupiter and Saturn are made out of gas? One of the best ways to attain pleasure is to avoid pain, and the best way to do that is to live an easy life free from the hassles of life: We must therefore not [crave] for anything that is absent, for so we shall be less likely to miss it. Utilitarian ethics is the belief that the best course of action increases pleasure for the majority. In summary, a simple heuristic to remember the difference between the Stoics and the Epicureans: The Stoics cared about virtuous behavior and living according to nature, while the Epicureans were all about avoiding pain and seeking natural and necessary pleasure. There are other kinds of pleasure that epicureans definitely do embrace fully, such as pleasures of the mind and the removal of pain. Stoic philosophers believe that the only evil is fear, which leads to irrational behavior. It is important to understand what these theories are because of their influential tendencies in the way people act, especially in making morally right or wrong decisions. When we let our worries and stress take over, we are not being stoic. The wise man will wish to die when he is weary of life when he has lived his life and achieved his purposes; for there is no greater evil than death, nor any pain that can be compared with it.. Pleasure and pain are the root of good and evil. Every day we can choose to be an Epicurean or a Stoic, taking what we find useful from both philosophies. Can non-Muslims ride the Haramain high-speed train in Saudi Arabia? A decision can be defined as ethically correct under the theory of Utilitarianism if the moral choice provides the 'greatest good for the greatest number of people', proving that at the core of Utilitarianism are the ideals of pleasure and consequence. Epicureanism and Utilitarianism are both hedonist. However, within the utilitarian community there are major splits in how we are to determine which action brings us the greatest amounts of pleasure. 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