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  • Essay / A study of the concept of justice in relation to Marxist and utilitarian philosophies

    Table of ContentsPhilosophy and JusticeUtilitarianismMarxismConclusionPhilosophy and JusticeFor many centuries, humanity has presented its ideas of what a just society would look like. Much goes into the question of what constitutes a just society. Can a democracy have a just society? Can a communist nation have a just society? Can a monarchy have a just society? No matter what type of nation a society is, there is some sort of philosophy about how justice should work in that society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayUtilitarianismUtilitarianism is “the theory that an action is right if it seeks to promote the greatest happiness in the world at large » (Mitchell, 2015, p. 402) Philosophers of utilitarianism will ask the question “What is more useful, or utilitarian?” ” (Mitchell, 2015, p. 402) and they will answer the question by saying “more pleasure and less pain for the greatest number of people”. (Mitchell, 2015, p. 402) With utilitarianism, the phrase “be careful what you wish for” can be taken to a whole new level. For example, if utilitarian ideas became laws, there could be a law that required people to donate blood. If there was suddenly a great need for your blood type and a liter of your blood could save thousands, then the utilitarian law of doing what is best for the greatest number of people would force you to give up a liter of your blood. time whether you want it or not. An extreme utilitarian might even argue that you should keep donating blood until it's all gone, forcing you to give your life to save more people. In utilitarian philosophy, the words good and evil refer to pleasure and pain. Utilitarians “believe that we should be honest in seeking pleasure and try to avoid pain.” (Mitchell, 2015, p. 402) With this belief system, all forms of sexuality would be considered good as long as they bring pleasure to those who practice it. Where the utilitarian philosophy could get really confusing is in bodybuilding. Arnold Schwarzenegger, while still in his twenties, said: "Pain makes me grow, growing is what I want, so to me pain is pleasure." » (Manformation, 2015, p. 1) With the utilitarian philosophy, comes the philosophy of hedonism. Hedonism is “the theory that pleasure is the highest good” (Mitchell, 2015, p. 403). There is individual hedonism, in which individuals seek pleasure for themselves. Most people will agree that this does not lead to justice. Then there is social hedonism, where people seek the greatest pleasure for society. Utilitarians believe that social hedonism brings justice to society, "if more people experience a balance between pleasure and pain rather than the other way around." (Mitchell, 2015, p. 403).MarxismMarxism, named after the 19th-century German philosopher Karl Marx, introduces economics into the philosophy of what makes a good and just society. Marx was concerned about the influence industrialization had on the middle-class workforce. Karl noticed that industrialization combined with capitalism created a society in which most workers had nothing to sell while waiting for their jobs. This meant that the vast majority of society's citizens were nothing more than working machines. (South. 408).