For example, Utilitarianism makes more a distinction between higher pleasures and lower pleasures. This theory can be further narrowed to more specific subcategories; utilitarianism and epicureanism. Epicurus' 'Letter to Menoeceus' sets out his position as follows (Men. For the Stoics, virtue was the foundational concept for their way of life. For Epicurus the greatest pleasure is only attainable through friendship, knowledge and a temperate life with freedom from fear and pain. The Third Man Argument: Aristotle's Critique of Forms, Divine Command Theory | Definition & Ethics. ), who founded his philosophical school (The Garden) in 306 b.c.e. Utilitarianism noun (philosophy) A system of ethics based on the premise that something's value may be measured by its usefulness. 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. (What you can do to develop it)Continue. Suspicious referee report, are "suggested citations" from a paper mill? However, in utilitarianism the only thing that gages morality of an action is whether it produces the greatest happiness ( McMillan, n.d.). Mental pleasures and pains had to do with the past and future. Utilitarianism provides a method for calculating the moral worth of specific actions in terms of their consequences. A system of philosophy based upon the teachings of (c. 340c. Libertarians values actions that promote fairness and justice in the society unlike, the utilitarian actions that in some cases violates fairness and justice. Summary. Those employees demonstrated a distinctly epicurean mindset because they put their own greed above the interests of other employees and all the companys stakeholders. Accept whatever happens to you with humility. It's clear from what I said above Epicurus talks about virtue and friendship means he is not talking about own pleasure only Yes he seek to reduce suffering particular ones own and to achieve this they talk about middle path as moderate life and basic material need is enough to reduce pain It's clear they are not egoist And if they are utilitarian ,they would concentrate toward ends only But they are not .as they are seeking middle path between pain and pleasure Is Epicureanism more like egoism or utilitarianism. DeWitt summarises this relationship as follows : "It is impossible to live pleasurably without living according to reason, honor, and justice, nor to live according to reason, honor, and justice without living pleasurably." In political life we are readily exposed to the hostility of enemies - hardly a recipe for preserving ataraxia. The doctrine that virtue is founded in utility, or that virtue is defined and enforced by its tendency to promote the highest happiness of the universe. Dont let fear rule your life. Both philosophies champion the pursuit of knowledge, though they also both stress the importance of being self-sufficient and loving oneself before others. Epicureanism: the view that pleasure, as the chief good, is best achieved through tranquility, which is best achieved by avoiding unnecessary pleasures and seeking only those which will prevent pain, which leaves us with little to fear losing. We should remember that those things are not part of the inner self and do not define us as human beings. Epicureanism suggests that static pleasures are the preferred form of pleasure. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'mindbydesign_io-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',107,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-mindbydesign_io-medrectangle-3-0');Stoicism is a school of philosophy that thrived from approximately 300 BC to 200 AD (though similar philosophies and beliefs existed prior to and after that period). They both have the same core in hedonism. Deontology noun The science which relates to duty or moral obligation. Live in the present moment and dont worry about the future. 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. Utilitarianism looks at the long-range consequences; while this is shared with Epicurean hedonism, it is distinct with many others. Stating the Utilitarian view can summarize these basic principles: "the greatest good for the greatest number". Notes on Hedonism and Utilitarianism Teleological (or consequentialist) theories of ethics (e.g., egoism, hedonism, utilitarianism) assume that the first task of ethics is to determine that which has value (and thus defines the good) and then to indicate how we are obligated to do what is valuable. 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Stoicism and Epicureanism were the two main Hellenistic schools of philosophy (i.e., schools which came after Aristotle). It teaches that the greatest good is to seek modest pleasures in order to attain a state of tranquillity, freedom from fear ("ataraxia") and absence from bodily pain ("aponia"). Ancient Greek Philosophies: Ancient Greece was a critical period for the development of Western civilization in a myriad of ways. Stoics believe that we have to live a stoic existence, where we are able to leave behind our troubles and focus on ourselves. I will also look at arguments for and against utilitarianism. He kicks off his text by writing, 'Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. Epicureans mistakenly interpret this as the pursuit of sensual pleasures. The term Stoic comes from the stoa, or porch, where students of Stoicism used to gather. So a stoic will study what they can control, and then focus on what happens in their life. Many people have lost sight of the fact that they are living a life of their own, free from outside influences and expectations. Epicurus was a Greek philosopher who founded the Epicurean school of thought. I don't see how either painlessness or tranquillity can be maximised : there are no degrees of painlessness, for example, and so the condition cannot be maximised. The main difference is that Utilitarianism believes that people should be able to make their own decisions about what is right and wrong, while epicureanism believes that people should follow the examples of those who lived before them (the wise and powerful individuals). The Epicurean cares only about material things and pleasure while the stoic care about spiritual things and virtue. There is a tension in Epicurus' ethics. However Utilitarianism answers questions Epicureanism can't. The definition given to us earlier in our textbook, Exploring Ethics, in the article, Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism, it defines act utilities as an act that, is right if and only if it results in as much good as any available alternative. [Public Domain], Wikimedia Commons But on the other hand, too much focus on a companys own needs may harm that organizations reputation for social responsibility. The company has found through research that out of 100,000 tables produced, one is likely to collapse after many years of use. Regina's company has sold about a million tables, so probability says that about ten tables may collapse over time. Change). Mill wanted to emphasize that, 'Unless an action hurts someone else, others do not have a basis for regulating what a person should do. (The Epicurus Reader, 31 : see 'References'.). Today I will be focusing on two ways to determine which actions bring the greatest amount of pleasure to a situation: act and rule utilitarianism. How does utilitarianism differ from hedonism? The headline answer is that Epicureanism is neither egoism nor utilitarianism and no closer to one than to the other. Every day we can choose to be an Epicurean or a Stoic, taking what we find useful from both philosophies. Fundamental Utilitarianism states that when a moral dilemma arises, one should take action that causes favorable results or reduces less favorable results. There are plenty of things in life that are out of our hands and so it is impossible for us to rely on someone else in order to make it through the week or month. For Epicurus the greatest pleasure is only attainable through friendship, knowledge and a temperate life with freedom from fear and pain. | 10 Which of these two philosophies a CEO or CFO leans toward can drastically affect an organizations reputation. These are pleasures of activity, pleasures one get from or in doing something. So if this is a utiitarian element, it needs to be clipped out of one's account of Epicurus. Utilitarianism teaches that happiness comprises the fundamental purpose and pursuit of human life. Are things in this world just as they are, or are things here because of a higher. Are physical pleasures fleeting, while mental pleasures last forever? 3 In the case of Enron, Kenneth Lay and other C-suite executives used loopholes in their accounting system to embezzle millions of dollars. We all saw the extent of corporate greed in the financial scandals of the early 2000s. Ataraxia and aponia, pleasures of rest, as we may call them, are katastematic pleasures. These are just some of the important principles that we need to learn in order to live a better life in a world that is full of hardships and tragedies. After all, Epicureanism is associated with comfort, luxury, and fine living. Though one ancient author only traces its roots back to Zeno, the founder of Stoicism. We should not be so afraid of the uncertainty that we become illogical in our thinking and this prevents us from doing things that are helpful for us. Target has multiple corporate social responsibility programs that are committed to raising money for education and providing food for underprivileged children. Brad Inwood & L.P. Gerson. The main difference between the philosophies is that Epicureans value pleasure and tranquillity while stoics value virtue and wisdom. One of the primary differences between Stoicism and Epicureanism is how they viewed virtue. I highly recommend you use this site! Jeffrey S. Purinton, 'Epicurus on the Telos', Phronesis, Vol. We can add to this a surviving bit of 'On Acts of Choice and Avoidance' (Peri aireseos kai phuges) where he says that : Peace of mind (ataraxia) and freedom from pain (aponia) are pleasures which imply a state of rest'. 4. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different characterizations, the basic idea behind all of them is to in some sense maximize utility, which is often defined in terms of well-being or related concepts. Aristotle & Eudaimonia Overview & Theory | What Is Eudaimonia? if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'mindbydesign_io-leader-4','ezslot_16',130,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-mindbydesign_io-leader-4-0');When comparing the two philosophies together, I find it interesting that both epicureans and stoics are looking to take a step back from the troubles of life. One is in it - or not. Manage Settings One of the clearest contributions of the ancient Greeks to Western civilization was in terms of philosophy, and three important Greek philosophies were Skepticism, Epicureanism, and Stoicism. But what if those people are the CEOs and CFOs of Fortunes Top 500? Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Rule utilitarianism down side is that it can be seen as rule. Consequentialism Summary & Theories | What is Consequentialism? Should I include the MIT licence of a library which I use from a CDN? In the battle of philosophical ideas, its easy to pit Stoicism vs Epicureanism. (But what happens when one's friends' interests conflict, ataraxia-disrubingly, with one's own ?) Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. 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. Defining Psychological Egoism vs Ethical Egoism. - Definition & Theory, Utilitarian Organization: Definition & Overview, The Act and Rule Utilitarian Models in Business Ethics, Philosophy Paper Topics on Utilitarianism, Conducting Utilitarian Analysis: Definition, Approach & Application, Mickey Mantle Lesson for Kids: Biography & Facts, Michael Jordan Lesson for Kids: Biography & Facts, Jim Thorpe Lesson for Kids: Biography & Facts, Billie Jean King Biography: Lesson for Kids, Queen Victoria Lesson for Kids: Biography & Facts, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community, Recall the definitions of hedonist and utilitarianism, Recite and compare the beliefs of Epicurus, Jeremy Bentham, and John Stuart Mill in regards to utilitarianism. Psychological Egoism | What is Ethical Egoism? The stoics stress upon us to remember that we are living a life of our own design and that we should be happy with this fact. Virtue Ethics | Principles, Application & Examples. Utilitarianism is more consequence-oriented in character but, deontology is not consequence-oriented in nature. You might think that someone like Epicurus would look at Regina's company's situation and respond that she should ignore the potential problems of the faulty table and enjoy better profits instead. Why was the nose gear of Concorde located so far aft? In the end, its all about just trying to make the most of what life gives us and helping others as much as we can. Epicureanism definitely makes you feel like youre not alone in the world. Stoicism makes you feel like youre dependent on yourself and others. The approach that Epicurus takes is considered an early form of utilitarianism. Opponents of Act Utilitarianism attempt to argue that Act Utilitarianism (henceforth AU) does not account for justice when applied to ethical dilemmas. From now on katastematic = catastematic.). Utilitarianism has a view of the good life which Mill argues for, namely: that pleasure and freedom from pain are the only things that are desirable as ends, and that everything that is desirable at all is so either for the pleasure inherent in it or as means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain. Also, how does two-level utilitarianism fit into these?Hey, it's Ben here, and today's video . The stoic believes that everything is in our control, while the Epicurean believes that there is nothing that can be controlled. Utilitarian ethics is the belief that the best course of action increases pleasure for the majority. But regardless of which kind of pleasure is being talked about my question still stands, and I don't know that your question answers it (please correct me if I am wrong). People often wonder why life is precious. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. 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