Flaws with Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

Flaws with Utilitarianism Essay Among the most glaring problems that I see with Utilitarianism is its inclusion of animals under the umbrella that blankets this theory. It seems irrefutable that there exists an inordinate number of cases where the consequence that is against the best interest of an animal is favorable to humans, yet that dictating action is one that has been continually taken and condoned by the general public. This is a fundamental challenge, as the Utilitarian philosophy decrees that the pleasure and pain experienced by all individuals, including animals, has equal worth and must be considered when determining the net benefit of an actions consequences. The most drastic and prevalent of examples that one could provide to illustrate this contradiction would be the practice of using animals to provide food. It cannot be argued that it is in the best interest of a cow, a chicken, or another animal to be slaughtered to serve the dietary needs of mankind. Accordingly, Utilitarian reasoning suggests, in direct opposition to the intuition of humanity, that it is morally impermissible to kill the animals. While a Utilitarian philosopher might provide the counter-argument that such is natural order of the world that there exist a hierarchical food tree. Further they would insist that the greater good is that humans be nourished and provided for by the meat, for our pleasure is superior in quality to that of the beast. This reasoning, however, is flawed in two ways. Initially, the method by which meat finds its way to grocery stores for our purchase and eventual consumption is not one governed by the ways of nature, but rather is one engineered for efficiency by humans. Animals are bread forcibly, then nourished with specific intent of managing fat content, meat flavor, and healthiness, each of which discounts the Utilitarian claim that nature makes our carnivorous methods ethically permissible. Secondly, and perhaps more fundamentally, such a claim is in direct contradiction to the Utilitarian tenet that each individual has equal value regardless of identity or stature. Because humans could be sufficiently nourished without the killing of animals, it cannot be argued that the consequence of causing death to an animal is equivalent or less substantial than that of feeding a man. Conversely, there exist equally as many challenges to raise had the ethicist taken the alternate position that animals have equal value and accordingly that their pleasure is impermissibly infringed upon when they are killed for human interest. Arguments could be presented for a bevy of actions taken on a daily basis by society as a whole. One might address the fact that using animal testing for the advancement of medicine has benefits that outweigh the pains. Similarly, while the development of land effectively kills the previously animal inhabitants, it is an accepted result that society has displayed it is willing to disregard. In each of these cases, the majority of society condones such behavior, as evidenced by their existence as common public practice. While it is undeniable that opposition to each behavior does exist, the magnitude of this resistance is far outweighed by those in finding the long term benefits worthy of the negative consequences. In the end, it grows apparent that while it may be valuable to consider the interests of animals when calculating the net benefit of a given action, neither their pleasure nor their pain should be equated to ours. Such a principle has been introduced through the ethical thought experiment The Dilemma of the Swine. Resultantly, human existence constitutes higher pleasure that does that of an animal and we are often better served by making such a distinction through intuitive analysis rather than applying Hedonistic Calculus. The fact that Utilitarianism can be forced into contradictions regardless of the stance they choose makes the inclusion of animals under their ethical umbrella a significant problem.

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The Tea Party’s Influence on American Politics Throughout American history, the role and size of the United States government has been debated since the 1st United States Congress. In modern times, a new conservative group, known as the Tea Party has formed to advocate for smaller government, fiscal responsibility, and restoring traditional American values. This group has made it tougher for Democrats and Republicans to solve their differences. Receiving dramatic support when it formed, the Tea Party, acting as the most conservative members in government, has changed American politics by dividing the Republican party, making it tougher for Congress to pass bills, showing major opposition to the President, and causing gridlock within the government. The Tea Party is defined as a conservative grassroots movement that, â€Å"calls awareness to any issue which challenges the security, sovereignty of domestic tranquility of our beloved nation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .1 In addition to this, there are many based Tea Party groups around the country, such as Tea Party Patriots and Tea Party 911.2 Furthermore, the formation of the Tea Party is not fully defined. Many Tea Party activist like to refer to the 1773 Boston Tea Party as when their movement was established.3 However, it is argued that the modern Tea Party formed on a nationwide protest, known as the Tax Day Protest, on September 12, 2009.4 This group was protesting nationwide against 787 billion dollar stimulus package and the 3.5 trillion dollar deficit that was implemented by the Obama Administration and a Democratic controlled Adams 2 Congress.5 While many argue that the Tea Party was formed as a grassroots coalition, others claim that this movement was funded by elites, former politicians and con... ...ugh time on dealing with the debt ceiling once again. Thirty Republican Tea Party members oppose raising that debt ceiling. Because of this, Republicans have to create a bill in which they will receive Democratic support. Hopefully, a bipartisan solution by all members will allow the debt ceiling to be risen.44 The Tea Party has changed politics by making the Republican Party more Conservative and making the legislation process slower. They have indeed influenced and change politics in the election process and caused the necessity of bipartisanship in Congress. In addition, they brought the debate about the interpretation of the Constitution, restoring traditional values, economic ideologies in America, and the role and size of the United States government. The Tea Party will go down in history as one of the groups that has changed American politics in many aspects.

Metaphysical Poetry Essay

The metaphysical poets is a term coined by the poet and critic John Dryden to describe a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century, whose work was characterized by the inventive use of conceits, and by speculation about topics such as love or religion. These poets were not formally affiliated; most of them did not even know or read each other. Their style was characterized by wit and metaphysical conceits—far-fetched or unusual similes or metaphors, such as in Andrew Marvell’s comparison of the soul with a drop of dew; in an expanded epigram format, with the use of simple verse forms, octosyllabic couplets, quatrains or stanzas in which length of line and rhyme scheme enforce the sense. The specific definition of wit which Johnson applied to the school was: â€Å"†¦ a kind of discordia concors; a combination of dissimilar images, or discovery of occult resemblances in things apparently unlike. † Their poetry diverged from the style of their times, containing neither images of nature nor allusions to classical mythology, as were common. Several metaphysical poets, especially John Donne, were influenced by Neo-Platonism. One of the primary Platonic concepts found in metaphysical poetry is the idea that the perfection of beauty in the beloved acted as a remembrance of perfect beauty in the eternal realm. Though secular topics such as scientific or geographical discoveries interested them, there was also a religious or casuistic element to some of their work, by which they attempted to define their relationship with God. John Donne (between 24 January and 19 June 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and a cleric in the Church of England. He is considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially compared to that of his contemporaries. Donne’s style is characterised by abrupt openings and various paradoxes, ironies and dislocations. These features, along with his frequent dramatic or everyday speech rhythms, his tense syntax and his tough eloquence, were both a reaction against the smoothness of conventional Elizabethan poetry and an adaptation into English of European baroque and mannerist techniques. His early career was marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of British society and he met that knowledge with sharp criticism. Another important theme in Donne’s poetry is the idea of true religion, something that he spent much time considering and theorising about. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic and love poems. He is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits. A Burnt ShipOut of a fired ship, which by no wayBut drowning could be rescued from the flame,Some men leap’d forth, and ever as they cameNear the foes’ ships, did by their shot decay;So all were lost, which in the ship were found,They in the sea being burnt, they in the burnt ship drown’d. John Donne A Lame BeggarI am unable, yonder beggar cries,To stand, or move; if he say true, he lies. John Donne.

Adolf Hitler and The Holocaust Essay - 729 Words

The Holocast is the name of the Geonocide, or mass murder of Jews, Romas(gypsies), Slavics, communists, socialists, Jehovas Witnesses, homosexuals, and people with medical handicaps. This geonocide, led by Adolf Hitler, who was the chancellor and future dictator of Germany, resulted in the death of six million Jews and thousands of other innocents. The Holocaust is arguably the worst thing that has happened in our history. In our modern world we still have racist and religious problems accross the world particularly in the Middle East and Africa. By studying the Holocaust we can learn many things and gain a perspective on our lives. Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi political party and Fuhrer of Germany was born in Austria. In 1933 he†¦show more content†¦To this day we still do not know how many resistance fighters, homosexuals, and political prisoners of war were killed. We study this part of our history so we know not to repeat these past mistakes of our history. We study this so we know that there are people in our world who believe that diversity and individuality is a bad thing and that we must accept diversity in our modern world. Thirdly, World War Two(WW2) is also a major part of the history of the Holocaust. WW2 is the second World War in the history of the human race. During WW2 the Allied Powers(France, Great Britain, USA, the Soviet Union, and China) were allied against the Axis Power(Germany, Italy, and Japan). This war was the largest and bloodiest war in human history. It resulted in the death of 56 million people according to the Hitler Historical Museum. From this war we have gained a perspective on death count. We have learned that different political ideas can cause conflicts and end in murder. We study World War Two to learn about the history of wars that the US was involved in. Anne Frank was a victim of Adolf Hitlers Genocide. She lived from 1929-1945. She was a Jewish girl who went into hiding after the Germans ordered the Jewish callup. She hid in the attic of her fathers business in Holand. FromShow MoreRelatedAdolf Hitler and the Holocaust1249 Words   |  5 PagesAdolf Hitler was the driving force behind the Holocaust. Many people think he was insane to torture the human race that way. Others praise him for attempting to exterminate the Jewish people. Some wonder what was going on inside his head when he had the first thought and/or plan of the Holocaust. A majority of the world just want to know what drove him or what made him hate the Jewish race so much. Studying Adolf Hitler’s beliefs can give the world history because he gave the world an insightRead MoreAdolf Hitler And The Holocaust1078 Words   |  5 Pages Adolf Hitler played a major role in WWII. Hitler was anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitic is to be against Jews. Hitler’s perspective of perfection was a blue-eyed, blonde-haired white person; most Jews did not fit this description. This view is what caused the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a period of time in which many Jews were killed in camps. He also believed that he could bring Germany to greatness once again. Because of Adolf Hitler’s actions and beliefs, he was an important figure inRead MoreAdolf Hitler And The Holocaust Essay905 Words   |  4 PagesAuschwitz On January 30, 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed the German chancellor. This was the beginning of the most tragic and horrifying mass murder the world has ever known. Adolf Hitler was a man who despised Jews and blamed them for everything that had gone wrong in Germany. He wanted to annihilate every living Jew in Germany through a plan that he called â€Å"The Final Solution.† To fulfill his master plan, he appointed German SS officers to round up mass amounts of Jews and ship them off to deathRead MoreAdolf Hitler And The Holocaust Essay1105 Words   |  5 PagesAdolf Hitler and the Holocaust. The Holocaust is the word used to describe the mass murder of approximately six million European Jews during Adolf Hitler’s rule in Germany. Among the Jews were also other groups described as â€Å"Sub-Humans† such as Gypsies, homosexuals, intellectually challenged, political prisoners and most Eastern Europeans. German lacked confidence in their weak system, the Weimer Republic. Adolf Hitler, the chairman of the Nazi Party by 1921, was a World War I veteran who still believedRead MoreAdolf Hitler And The Holocaust1667 Words   |  7 Pagesthe more sharply they became distinguished in my eyes from the rest of humanity,† Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf, describing his feelings when he first arrived in Vienna in 1925 and began to develop anti-Semitic ideas. The Holocaust was when the Nazi’s eliminated the Jewish people under Hitler’s rule. This was one of the most gruesome events in world history. There were three main reasons why Hitler started the Holoca ust and exterminated the Jews: he had a need for power; he was convinced the loss ofRead MoreAdolf Hitler And The Holocaust2262 Words   |  10 PagesWhen Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, he had a belief that race was the sole matter that defined the culture of a civilization. He influenced the country of Germany to change the ideological values that they previously abided by. This change marked the beginning of a new era, which led to the most pure ideological genocide that can be remembered to this day since there was no pragmatic motivation throughout the time period the Holocaust took place. It is a dark mark in the history of westernRead MoreAdolf Hitler And The Holocaust2948 Words   |  12 PagesAdolf Hitler, chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and fà ¼hrer of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945, was the mastermind behind both World War II within Europe and the Holocaust. In the â€Å"Final Solution,† concentration and extermination camps were implemented in an a ttempt to rid of the Jewish population entirely. Such a task, genocide, would not be done easily. By the end of World War II, over six million Jews had been killed. However, not merely Jews were subject to mass murder, but nearly five millionRead MoreAdolf Hitler and The Holocaust Essay1519 Words   |  7 Pages On January 30th, 1933, Adolf Hitler became a dictator of Germany, which marked the start of the twelve year massacre, the Holocaust. The Holocaust lasted until May 8th, 1945, when Europe won World War II. During the event of the Holocaust, six million Jewish followers were murdered; nearly two-thirds of the European Jewish population and one-third of all the Jewish population in the world. The Nazi Party not only targeted the Jews, but communists, Marxists, and anyone who stood up to, or posedRead MoreAdolf Hitler and the Holocaust Essay1114 Words   |  5 Pages Germany’s fate was changed on April 20, 1889, the day I, Adolf Hitler was born to German official, Alois and my dear, Klara Hitler. Little did they know of what a miracle that had blessed them that day. My destiny was decided for me every time my father lectured me about the abhor Jews, taking up our German property, and beat me for the childish mistakes I made. I realized my destiny was to punish the faults in our once perfect nation. My father’s strict upper hand was not the only contributionRead MoreAdolf Hitler and the Holocaust Essay611 Words   |  3 Pagesquestion, Why? Why would someone like Hitler murder millions of people in an act of mass genocide? I personally think that no one truly knows the answer to that question I do however, however know why we would study something like the Holocaust, and likewise WWII. In order to explain it sufficiently I think that one must start with the story of Adolf Hitler. In 1889, on April 20th Adolf Hitler was born. As a young Austrian boy, Hitler wanted to be an artist and applied at