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Assess the merits of Utilitarianism (24 Marks)

Utilitarianism is a theory aimed at defining one simple basis that can be applied when making any ethical decision. It is based on a human's natural instinct to seek pleasure and avoid pain.
Jeremy Bentham is widely regarded as the father of utilitarianism. He was born in 1748 into a family of lawyers and was himself, training to join the profession. During this process however, he became disillusioned by the state British law was in and set out to reform the system into a perfect one based on the ‘Greatest Happiness Principle,' ‘the idea that pleasurable consequences are what qualify an action as being morally good'. Bentham observed that we are all governed by pain and pleasure; we all naturally aim to seek pleasure and avoid pain. He then decided that the best moral principle for governing our lives is one which uses this, the ‘Greatest Happiness Principle.' This is that the amount of overall happiness or unhappiness that is......

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Approximate Word Count: 1449
Approximate Pages: 6 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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