Glaucon Why Be Moral

The first incident of hedonism occurs when Gringoire notices a large crowd surrounding the Palace of Justice in the city. A young man explains to him that a woman is on trial for murder. However, he is annoyed because his brother spends all of his time at the trial and he “couldn’t get through the crowd to him” when he “needed money” (Hugo 154). Hugo does not draw much focus to this comment, however, it is vitally important towards developing this theme of self-interest throughout the novel. The young man is frustrated because he desires money and cannot get it. He displays little concern for his brother and focuses on his own materialistic needs. Gringoire then acknowledges to himself

The hedonist would argue that pleasure is the only intrinsic good in life, that joy and suffering are the only distinguishing marks of things beneficial or harmful to the human being. To the hedonist, life is like the common balance scale with suffering on one side and pleasure on the other. With pleasure being inversely related to suffering, in order to maximize the good of life, the hedonist strives to minimize suffering, thereby maximizing net pleasure (pleasure minus suffering).

Cindy Theodore Professsor Mayers English 112-021 Leading A Moral Life Lyn White quoted “The greatest ethical test that we're ever going to face is the treatment of those who are at our mercy”. This quote although very short, exemplifies a lot. What is morality and who decides what is moral? When put in a predicament what is the driving factor behind someone leading a good moral life?

The desire satisfaction theory accommodates the thought which hedonism does not accommodate. According to the desire satisfaction theory, our lives go better when the world actually is a certain way, and doesn’t merely appear to be a certain way. An individual experiences pleasure when the desires are satisfied but it is not a guarantee that the desires cause pleasure.

The theory, which insists on conducting ourselves in ways that leads to a greater majority being happy suggests that individuals must sacrifice their own happiness and seek happiness for others. This concept is not wrong as it is morally right to consider all other individuals happiness. Furthermore, it may inculcate significant values such as care. However, it is possible that individuals are not morally bound by any laws to act in this manner. A willingness and desire to help others should be voluntary and totally guided by free-will and choice rather than an ethical theory.

According to Danielle Paquette, author of “The Magic Word This Researcher Says Can Get People to Agree with You”, the word “moral” has more power than tradition or practicality. Paquette writes, “According to new research, a perception of morality strengthens an argument, giving it more sway than opinions based on tradition or practicality.” (Paquette 1-2). The study Paquette is referring to is from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Andrew Luttrell, a doctoral student from Ohio State, believes “people or causes we most admire share a common trait: They’re connected to our sense of morality,” (Paquette 2). In order to see if a person’s viewpoint gets stronger or is immune to opposing ideas when one states it is moral, Luttrell and other researchers set out to conduct several experiments. In the first experiment, the researchers presented to the students, information about a fake new senior exam policy. After that, the participants were told to write down their thoughts about the new policy and were then given feedback on whether they were more moral or traditional. Those who were told that their thoughts reflected morality were more likely to support the new policy. Furthermore, in experiment two, the researchers then told different

Hedonism was an important part of Epicurus beliefs. Hedonism is easily described as the pursuit of pleasure. Epicurus believed that the goal in life should be to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Epicurus understood hedonism as pleasure being the first priority of life but believed that pleasure should be obtained in a sensible manner ("Hedonism"). The hedonistic beliefs of Epicurus tend to fall on the side of psychology as well as philosophy. People begin to seek pleasure and avoid pain unknowingly as an infant. As we grow into adults looking for ultimate happiness, seeking pleasure is just not as easy with all the curve balls that are thrown in life (O 'Keefe).

In other words, humans should have high moral standards, and therefore reasoning a balance in life by not being excessive in the pursuit of happiness, but also don’t be lacking the desire to pursue happiness. “Moral virtues

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-Hedonism where what is good for each of us as an end is pleasure, while what is bad for each of us as an end is pain.

People who live the “good life” just do what they want without looking at consequences. The “good life” is different from the “moral life”. Glaucon says that being morally good is not what people want. Morality shows the two extremes. The worst extreme protects us from suffering injustice at the hands of

Hedonistic Utilitarianism is a view that pleasure as a sole good and pain as the only evil. The rightness of an action is determined by how much pleasure it produces, or how much pain it prevents. You have to balance pleasure and pain. It is Justifiable if it produces more pleasure than pain, regardless of how much pain it causes. One major claim from a hedonistic Utilitarianism is consequentialist principal.

One important part of morality that Heinlein states is helping others. Would you risk your life to save another person? Who would that person be? And if you wouldn’t, why not? What kind of person are you? What kind of moral standards do you have? How do you live life? These are questions you must ask yourself according to Heinlein.

It has been established that Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839) is in part a com- mentary upon the Burkean sublime,’ but the full extent of Poe’s critique of sublimity remains to be determined. The tale certainly articulates, as Craig Howes has shown, Poe’s dissatisfaction with Burke’s silence on certain abstract sources of terror,2 but “Usher” does not rest here in its un- sympathetic examination of the sublime. Writing a tale directed against established theories of sub- limity, Poe is not likely to have overlooked Kant’s “Analytic of the Sublime,” and indeed “Usher” is, I would like to suggest, as much concerned with Kant’s aesthetic aswith that offered by Burke and his inheritors.’ Wemaygofurther: “Usher”finallyrecordsnot merely

That is the highest end and the best life we could possibly live. Eudaimonia is translated as happiness. Even though it does not mean what we understand happiness to be. Eudaemonia is so much more than just being happy. Aristotle wrote, “For we have said that happiness is a certain sort of activity of the soul in accord with virtue” (Aristotle 9). To reach eudaimonia, a person has to be functioning well. In order to be functioning well, we have to act using logos, which is our reasoning.