Mill's Utilitarianism

Mill's Utilitarianism Order Description NOTE: The only source is Mill, Chapters Two and Five plz read the instructions clearly Essay Assignment on Mill's Utilitarianism An essay in response to one of the prompts below is due electronically no later than Saturday evening 11pm, March 25rd, 2017. Your essay must be at least four full pages in length and no more than five full pages in length (typed/word processed, one inch margins all- around, no more than double spaced, no larger than 12 point font, no cover sheet). Your essay will be graded primarily on the bases of (1) clarity of expression, (2) completeness and relevance of your answer, and (3) the accuracy of your reconstruction of Mill's view. In general, the more relevant detail in your answer, the better the grade your answer will earn. If you quote Mill, you must use quotation marks and indicate the paragraph number in the text from which the passage comes. You are not required to consult outside sources (but if you do you must provide a proper reference citation). Make sure the work you hand in is YOUR OWN!!! You will submit your essay to via BBLearn as (1) a Microsoft Word file or (2) a Rich Text File which will be electronically compared to previous papers collected on this topic and a large national database through SafeAssign. In each of the essay options on the next page, you will note that there is one directive that is set in bold print. Treat this item as the main question that is supposed to shape and structure your essay. Your essay should have a thesis that expresses clearly whether you accept or reject Mill's view as it relates to that main question in bold--and this thesis statement should be stated in the first paragraph. There are, in addition to this main question, several sub-questions that will assist you in giving specific content to the essay. These sub-questions must be addressed or covered at some point in your answer, though not necessarily in the order in which they appear below. You must think about how best to arrange your essay so as to make your case persuasive. You may have to go beyond these sub-questions to answer adequately the essay question. PHI 105 (003) Introduction to Ethics Spring 2017 (Griffin) Option One: As we have seen, in chapter two, Mill describes what the theory of utilitarianism is and what it requires, and he attempts to respond to a number of objections. In an essay, explain why you find Mill's view of a happy life and its relation to morality correct or incorrect. [So your thesis here can be that you find his views on these two issues both correct, or both incorrect, or you can find one correct and the other incorrect. Formulate your thesis clearly and express it early in the paper, such as in the introductory paragraph.] In defense of your thesis you should be sure to address in the essay at least the following questions-- remember: the more relevant detail, the better your grade will be. (a) What generally IS a happy life for an individual human being, according to Mill? (b) How is happiness in this sense related to the standard of morality? (c) What sorts of obstacles does Mill identify that a person might face in trying to achieve happiness? (d) How, in Mill’s view, is a proper education related to a well-lived life? [Think about sub-questions (c) and (d) together.] (e) Although Mill set out to offer a radical view, he might be considered a conservative—why might this be said? (f) How does the apparent conservativism enable him to respond to the objection that utilitarianism is too demanding? (g) How would Mill show that he is not, in the end, a conservative? (h) If you reject EITHER his account of happiness OR his account of its relationship to morality, you should explain as clearly and as forcefully as you can the reasons for your disagreement with him in such a way that other reasonable persons would have good reason to agree with you.) If you accept Mill's view on BOTH of the two main claims for chapter two, you should consider what you take to be the most powerful or forceful objection raised in chapter two to the utilitarian conception of happiness or its account of moral rightness, and explain how Mill does or could respond. Option Two: In an essay, examine Mill’s analysis of justice, explaining why you find Mill’s view adequate or inadequate. Again, formulate a thesis in response to this main directive, and express this thesis early in your paper. In defense of your thesis, be sure to address the following. (1) Begin, after a suitable introduction that includes your thesis, by explaining what Mill thinks moral wrongdoing is as he explains it in chapter five. (2) What is moral rightness, as explained in chapter five? (3) What are perfect and imperfect duties, and how does this distinction help Mill to distinguish injustice from moral wrongness, and justice from moral rightness? (4) How does Mill explain the relationship between justice and utility? (5) What is our sentiment of justice, and how is it ultimately related to utility? (6) What is rule utilitarianism, and what evidence in the text would you point to in order to show either that Mill is or that Mill is NOT a rule utilitarian? (7) Apply Mill’s view of justice to the hospital administrator case (harvesting organs of the homeless man to save five socially productive medical scientists). What do you think Mill would say is the morally right thing to do in this case? (8) Explain why Mill’s theory gets it right or gets it wrong in this case. If you think he gets it wrong, explain where he goes wrong in such a way that other reasonable persons would have good reason to agree with you. If you think he gets it right, explain why his view is better than natural rights views of justice in such a way that other reasonable persons would have good reason to agree with you.