Should she opt to keep the company running and have all of her employees able to earn a living instead? As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 Should I include the MIT licence of a library which I use from a CDN? This theory can be further narrowed to more specific subcategories; utilitarianism and epicureanism. Brad Inwood & L.P. Gerson. Utilitarianism can also be secular and religious whether by wanting happiness for your own sake or because God desires happiness for his creations. This article attempts to highlight the differences between consequentialism and utilitarianism for the benefit of the readers. Not all things are going to go our way, but if we have hope in our ability to live a better life, we will be much happier. was a complete and interdependent system, involving a view of the goal of human life (happiness, resulting from absence of physical pain and mental disturbance), an empiricist theory of knowledge (sensations, together with the perception of pleasure and pain, are infallible criteria), a description of nature based on atomistic materialism, and a . From now on katastematic = catastematic.). 1931. We should remember that those things are not part of the inner self and do not define us as human beings. Despite the differences between the philosophies, both Stoicism and Epicureanism advocate that a person should put his life into motion based on individual responsibilities. While Bentham might argue that enjoying an ice cream cone is the same pleasure as a conversation with a loved one, Mill saw variations in the importance of one pleasure over another. Consequentialism is a theory that says whether something is good or bad depends on its outcomes. Stoicism is a philosophy about the dichotomy between things we can control and those we cant. So other people are both potential enemies (thus harmful) and potential friends - and friendship more than anything else contributes to the blessedness (makariotes) of life. Rather than maximizing pleasure, we are better off minimizing pain. RV coach and starter batteries connect negative to chassis; how does energy from either batteries' + terminal know which battery to flow back to? Utilitarianism is a practical doctrine that is widely accepted in modern societys economics, politic, and ethics. Utilitarianism: maximize the common good. Those employees demonstrated a distinctly epicurean mindset because they put their own greed above the interests of other employees and all the companys stakeholders. The first is called act utilitarianism. Stoicism and Epicureanism can be a battle of philosophies, they share similarities which we will cover below but lets look at their differences. In utilitarianism, an action is good or evil based on its consequences on the happiness of an individual and the happiness of the community. They can only be fathomed by a retrospective judge examining the life-pattern as a whole. It highlights the principle of utility in seeking the greatest pleasure, allowing egotistic and hedonistic actions to be considered moral. We are going to have to face our own mortality at some point in time. For the Stoics, virtue was the foundational concept for their way of life. While differing in their fundamental tenets, both philosophical schools recognized the goal of philosophy to be the transformation of the self into a sage. Bentham then makes the case that it's not just our own pain and pleasure that should matter, but the pain and pleasure of all human beings. Christine has an M.A. (What you can do to develop it)Continue. Where can I find material on Epicureanism? 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. 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. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'mindbydesign_io-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_5',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-mindbydesign_io-large-leaderboard-2-0');The stoic is not worried about life and death but trying to make his life have more meaning, while the Epicurean is living a short and easy life. Stoics believe that we must focus on the things that are under our control, and not worry about external forces. Regina is the owner of a company that produces tables. Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. Some pains are more troubling. Boris Nikolsky, 'Epicurus on Pleasure', Phronesis, Vol. One of the primary differences between Stoicism and Epicureanism is how they viewed virtue. Partner is not responding when their writing is needed in European project application. Should she recall it even if only a few people will ever be affected? The consequences of a bankrupt company for all of her employees and the consequences of a faulty table for a few customers. Epicureanism is a particular form of hedonism. 353 - 367. Is this person someone who works nonstop without ever taking a break, day in and day out? Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. They have different values, but both teach us how to live a life full of meaning. What is the difference between humanism and existentialism? There are other differences such as Epicureanism being more focused on contentment. Ataraxia and aponia, pleasures of rest, as we may call them, are katastematic pleasures. For Epicurus, the consequences of our actions do matter and other people matter too. An error occurred trying to load this video. Stoics believe that we have to live a stoic existence, where we are able to leave behind our troubles and focus on ourselves. They have been widely debated by philosophers and social reformers. Therefore, both of these schools offer ways to avoid pain in life for the highest good. Attachment to the doctrines of Epicurus; the principles or belief of Epicurus. Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher who considered the topic of how to make decisions that lead to the greatest amount of happiness. What are the differences between Plato and Aristotle's views? Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; (philosophy) A system of ethics based on the premise that something's value may be measured by its usefulness. Therefore, the value and worth of any given action should be evaluated in terms of its ability to produce happiness. 4 (Nov., 2001), pp. Thats because its hard to find reasons when youre part of a world thats full of war, famine, and hatred. It is commonly supposed that there is a vital difference between ancient ethics and modern morality. The satisfaction of feeling full, and no longer being in need (hungry), would be a static pleasure. Upon further analysis, problems with utilitarian thoughts are revealed. Epicureans believe that pleasure (and not wisdom) is the most important thing in life. They both encourage people to pursue wisdom, even though its subjective and oftentimes leaders prey on others ignorance. Epicureanism is actually an umbrella term for a number of philosophies that were founded by Epicurus. How true! Learning how to let go and move on is a very important step in the stoic life and if we can master this, we will be much more successful than those who allow themselves to get caught up in the small things of life. Qualitative and Quantitative Happiness. Epicureanism focused on the pursuit of pleasure, within the bounds of moderation, and the avoidance of pain. Thus Epicurus says in 'On the Goal (Telos)' : For I at least do not even know what I should conceive the good life to be, if I eliminate the pleasures of taste, and eliminate the pleasures of sexm and eliminate the pleasures of listening, and eliminate the pleasant motions caused in our vision by a visible form. Epicureans put a focus on pleasure, but it is unclear from any material I've seen whether this the goal is one's own pleasure, the pleasure of everyone equally, or some more complicated interaction. Furthermore, theory is in opposition to egoism, the view that a person should pursue his own self-interest, even at the expense of others, and to any ethical theory that regards some acts or types of acts (Duignan, 2015). You can remember the term utilitarianism by thinking of the utility or usefulness of an action and whether the action increases pleasure and human happiness. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'mindbydesign_io-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_7',126,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-mindbydesign_io-large-mobile-banner-1-0');Its difficult to say which philosophy is better. Can non-Muslims ride the Haramain high-speed train in Saudi Arabia? Utilitarianism is the most common form of consequentialism, which is the theory that an act is morally right or wrong depending on the consequences it produces. Mill defines utilitarianism as a theory based on the principle that "actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness." Mill defines happiness as pleasure and the absence of pain. is that utilitarianism is (philosophy) a system of ethics based on the premise that something's value may be measured by its usefulness while epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of (c 340-c 270 bc). To the Epicureans, on the other hand, virtue was simply a vehicle for obtaining the highest good: pleasure. This website helped me pass! The stoic has many friends, the Epicurean has none. Utilitarianism and other consequentialist theories are in opposition to egoism, the view that each person should pursue his or her own self-interest, even at the expense of others, and to any ethical theory that regards some actions (or types of action) as right or wrong independently of their consequences ( see deontological ethics ). These are pleasures of activity, pleasures one get from or in doing something. This paper will attempt to explain how and why Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism differ as well as discuss why I believe Kant's theory provides a more plausible account of ethics. Two main aspects dominate the light of utilitarian beliefs. 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. Epicurus and the ancient Stoics had a lot in common because they both shared a desire to help people live better lives. We should be strong in our ability to live a stoic life and fight through any difficulties we may encounter. The utility principle is that you can only deem something to be good if it in itself will bring upon a specific desired state, such as happiness or fulfillment. Lets start by gaining an understanding of what utilitarianism means. Regina is considering issuing a recall for the tables now that they know the flaw, but this will likely bankrupt the company if they publicize it. DeWitt, Epicurus and his Philosophy, Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, 1954, 246.). He also was especially eager to highlight the rights of individuals and focused on this in his text, On Liberty. Furthermore, utilitarians think that the moral rightness of an action is dependant of weather it promotes rightness. Bentham's case on the other hand is the one for the "greatest happiness" of all. Libertarians values actions that promote fairness and justice in the society unlike, the utilitarian actions that in some cases violates fairness and justice. [Public Domain], Wikimedia Commons Epicurus focused on the absence of pain as being even more important than the presence of pleasure. Stoicism and Epicureanism were the two main Hellenistic schools of philosophy (i.e., schools which came after Aristotle). Psychological Egoism | What is Ethical Egoism? In this philosophy, the best action is the one that increases pleasure for the greatest number of people. It does seem fairly clear, however, that 'maximisation' of pleasure does not capture his view. Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers II, X, 'Epicurus', tr. These are the things we should learn to let go of. Instead, the stoics tell us to accept the situation as it is and do our best with what is in our control at the time. Book about a good dark lord, think "not Sauron". The opposite of stoicism is the belief that feeling emotions are a natural, healthy, and important part of life. The way we learn about rightness and wrongness is also very . Thus, one needs to act in such a way that . Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Aristotle & Eudaimonia Overview & Theory | What Is Eudaimonia? (Dionenes Laertius, 'Epicurus', 136 : see Reference. Both philosophies champion the pursuit of knowledge, though they also both stress the importance of being self-sufficient and loving oneself before others. In the balance of these two forces, stoicism teaches us that we can live a good life that is worth living no matter what happens. Physical pleasures and pains, he suggested, had to do with the present. Well believe it or not, this sleepy-sounding title actually starts out with a bold statement about human beings. What's wrong with my argument? Virtue Ethics | Principles, Application & Examples. The theory of utilitarianism provides a solution to this but at what cost? What is utilitarianism? Before we can determine which philosophy is better, we should first ask, what is it that makes a philosophy good or bad? In the battle of philosophical ideas, its easy to pit Stoicism vs Epicureanism. Take the one table in 100,000 that will bankrupt Regina's company if it's recalled. The biggest difference is between the sanction theory, on the one hand, and the secondary principle and pre-eminent goods conceptions, on the other hand, because the first is an indirect utilitarian conception of rights, whereas the second two are compatible with direct utilitarianism. Baron dHolbach & Illusion of Free Will | Overview, Beliefs & Interpretation, John Stuart Mill | Quotes, Utilitarianism & Theory, Euthyphro by Plato | Summary, Ethics & Analysis. How does utilitarianism deal with adding more people? A stoic is supposed to be free from fear and not be bothered by things that are outside of his personal control, like whether or not he is going to die today. When life throws at us a difficult situation that we cannot control, we should not give in to stress. Moore and Immanuel Kant. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Stoic philosophers believe that the only evil is fear, which leads to irrational behavior. Question: Question 1 (20 points) We have covered four ethical theories: two ancient, two modern. (The Epicurus Reader, 78.). Change). Rist, Epicurus : An Introduction, Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1972. Like it or not, were all going to die sooner or later. They also teach us about acceptance, trying to do the best that we can, and living a life that were proud of. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. 281-320. Utilitarianism can also be secular and religious whether by wanting happiness for your own sake or because God desires happiness for his creations. utilitarianism n.The belief that the value of a thing or an action is determined by its utility. Religious studies. I never claimed that it was the pursuit of sensual pleasure. More precisely, an Epicurean follows mainly the natural and necessary desires : for happiness philosophy, friendship,. Modern utilitarianism was advocated by Bentham in the 18th century which drew other philosophers such as Mill to construct their own alternatives to Benthams original concept. If these less favorable results, or pain, occur from this action, it can be justified if it is produced to prevent more pain or produce happiness. 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