Charles Dickens Utilitarianism Analysis - 996 Words

Utilitarianism and Charles Dickens - The Analysis of Impact of Utilitarianism in Hard Times towards Humanity The utilitarianism, is one of the ethical theory genres which greatly affects the western and even world’s development of philosophy. Its originality can be traced back to ancient Greece Democritus and Epicurean Hedonism theory. Jeremy Bentham is considered to be the founder of the utilitarianism theory during the latter half through 18th century in England. Based on the theory of utilitarianism proposed by Jeremy Bentham, the proposal expounds destructive influence of utilitarianism on humanity shown by Charles Dickens Hard Time. The proposal falls into two major parts - The introduction of Benthams utilitarianism theory: What†¦show more content†¦Bentham began his perspective to the principles of Morals and Legislation with the classic sentence: Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do According to Bentham, all human beings are governed by two sovereign aspects: Pleasure and pain while each individual accepts the fact that we desire pleasure and unwilling to encounter pain. Then, he came up with his Principle of utility where: That principle which approves or disapproves of every action whatsoever, according to the tendency which it appears to have to augment or diminish happiness By that, he meant by utility the balance of pleasure over pain, or happiness over suffering can be achieved. What he said is that: It is pleasure and pain that give us the real value of action Therefore, according to the philosophy of utilitarianism, our private or public life is in the last analysis concerned with maximizing happiness as well as maximizing pleasure. The proposal aims to discover the destructive influence on humanity by utilitarianism philosophy during Victorian Era, and to reveal the darkness of utilitarian moral principle which oppresses human nature and fosters a distorted value. Through analyzing distorted characters, the proposal makes it clear that utilitarianismShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of the Credibility of Characters in Charles Dickens Hard Times1512 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of the Credibility of Characters in Charles Dickens Hard Times Hard times was written in 1854 by Charles Dickens. Dickens was a prominent Victorian novelist who wrote about the society that surrounded him. He was educated and middle-class but had some sympathy with the way poor people were treated. He was critical of utilitarianism and felt that those in power showed little understanding of the poor. 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Both of these novels challenge the social, political and scientific developments of the 19th century, namely theRead MoreRacism And Slavery During The 19th Century2451 Words   |  10 Pages† Mill’s uses Carlyle s own arguments to trip him up, but for the most part, Mill sets out his own position. But, if anything, Mill s response indicates the chasm that lay between their respective philosophies. For instance, while Mill s utilitarianism implied that minimization of pain contributed to happiness, in Carlyle s Romanticist philosophy, only activity promoted happiness, regardless of whether or not pain accompanied it. Thus, for Mill, labor is a necessary evil, while for CarlyleRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesFlorida; Stanley  M. Howe Professor in Leadership, Henry B. Tip pie College of Business, University of Iowa; Associate Professor (with tenure), Department of Human Resource Studies, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University; Lecturer, Charles University, Czech Republic, and Comenius University, Slovakia; Instructor, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Research: Dr. Judge’s primary research interests are in (1) personality