Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility

In today 's society, we face many obstacles in our attempt to achieve the feeling of happiness. As intelligent beings, we try to solve these problems by taking the path that best benefits us. The theory of utilitarianism provides a solution to this but at what cost? What are the benefits and disadvantages of utilitarianism? Is utilitarianism an idea one should live by? What is utilitarianism? I plan on answering these questions within this paper and understand how they relate to everyday life. I will also look at arguments for and against utilitarianism. Then analyze the appealing and unappealing features to determine if utilitarianism should be followed as an absolute rule.

The action that leads to the greatest net outcome of utility is then considered to be the correct choice. According to this theory, Alistair should choose the action that will maximise happiness and minimise unhappiness.

There are several theories that try to explain the morality of the actions; however, two stand out. the first is deontology, and the other one is utilitarianism. The former follow the idea that the consequences of you action hold no importance in what we ought to do. But rather, some actions are morally wrong or good by itself. The latter follows an opposite view in which the consequences of an action are what it makes an action moral. Specially, if that action produce the greatest happiness over unhappiness. In this essay I will focus on two Utilitarianism ramifications, act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. They both agree that consequences must be the greatest factor in deciding what we ought to do. Nonetheless they have one big difference. Rule Utilitarianism generalize acts and recreate the consequences of a rule. If the consequences are ultimately favoring, then it is morally right. By way of contrast, Act Utilitarianism evaluate each action individually, and similar situation would have different outcomes depending on the situation. There is no universal rule unlike rule utilitarianism.

United States Congress and passed as a law in 1820, under the presidency of James

The three principles of utilitarianism are “1. All ‘pleasures’ or benefits are not equal, 2. The system presumes that one can predict the consequences of one’s actions, and 3. There is little concern for individual rights” (Pollock,

(Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns) As a farmer, you must decide how many times during the year to plant a new crop. Also, you

The first principle in individual decision-making is facing a trade-off. In order for individuals to accomplish their goals or to obtain something they desire, there is usually something that must be given up or traded to accomplish that. In Chapter 1 Principles of Economics, efficiency vs. equity is discussed which helps further explain this principle. Society is always desiring to

But in this Act Utilitarian theory of morality, all the little actions that cause more pleasure

The belief that which is good is determined by what brings the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest amount of people laid the foundation for the principals of Mill’s utilitarianism. Within this calculation, he distinguishes between a higher and lower principle of the value of pleasure. However, this assertion that specific pleasures are more desirable than others adds a complexity to a theory that seems otherwise simplistic. In his belief of separate pleasures, the complication of what is desired versus what is desirable arises. Theses higher pleasures become arbitrary when they are defined desirable only once they have become desired pleasures. Mill counters with the idea that the literal action that produces the higher pleasures is

But it would be the opposite if you choose to do something morally wrong. Your happiness will decrease if it's morally wrong. A utility is a pleasure itself and the absence of pain.

Utilitarianism is the argument that all actions must be made for the greatest happiness for the greater number of people (Bentham, 42). However, utilitarianism cannot always be the basis of one’s decisions due to the fact that people need to look out for their own pain and pleasure before consulting others’ wellbeing. I will first explain the arguments of the utilitarianism ideal. Then I willl explain why this argument is unconvincing. Ultimately, I will then prove why people consider their own happiness before considering others. Thus showing the utilitarianism view is implausible due to the need for people to consider their own happiness when making decisions or else they themselves will be experiencing the most pain and unhappiness.

Marginal Utility by definition is the additional satisfaction a consumer gains from consuming one more unit of a good or service, which is usually positive, but can be negative. The concept implies that the utility or benefit to a consumer of an additional unit of a product is inversely related to the number of units of that product he already owns. The notion of marginal utility originated with attempts by 19th-century economists to examine and describe the economic validity of price. They believed price was partially determined by a commodity’s utility, which led to a paradox when applied to predominant price associations. This problem, commonly referred to as the

Though the terms act and rule utility came after the time of Bentham and Mill, it can still be noted that Bentham was clearly an act utilitarian and the Mill was a rule utilitarian. This paper will cover two subjects of discussion related to utility, Bentham, and Mill. The first is a consideration of the way in which Bentham goes about reconciling the ethical hedonist he promotes with the psychological egoistic hedonism he endorses. The second is really three smaller issues: the way Bentham and Mill would direct us to apply the principle of utility, how this is comparable to the employment of the hedonistic calculus, and the possibility that the differences in their views may make us come to different moral decisions.

In this paper I will present and critically assess the concept of the principle of utility as given by John Stuart Mill. In the essay “What Utilitarianism Is” #, Mill presents the theory of Utilitarianism, which he summarizes in his “utility” or “greatest happiness principle” # (Mill 89). Mill’s focus is based on an action’s resulting “happiness,” # pleasure and absences of pain, or “unhappiness,” # discomfort and the nonexistence of contentment, rather than the intentions involved (Mill 89). After evaluating Mill’s principle, I will then end this essay by discussing my personal opinion about the doctrine and how I believe it can be altered to better suit real-life situations.

Marginal utility, in other word, is the difference in your satisfaction when you are offered with an additional one unit of a good or service. For example, when you are hungry, you will be very happy with someone offering you a piece of bread. If you got the second one, you will still be happy. So do the third or fourth one. But when it comes to the fifth or sixth piece, you may be less happy with that. When it reaches to the seventh piece, you may become unhappy with the offer. It is usual consumers’ psychology. In the process, people increasing satisfaction of getting one more piece of bread is marginal utility. And just like full filling a bottle with water, people will finally reach a point that we are not able to accept more good or service or even the water will spill out which likes the satisfaction remain the same as the previous one additional unit.