Valencia Community College The Ultimate Foundation Behind Morality Discussion

Purpose

The Reading Assignment contains (usually) two questions pertaining to short sections of (usually) primary sources. Primary sources are the original writings of important philosophers, not textbook accounts, summaries, or expert explanations of original writings. (Expert explanations, textbook accounts, etc. are called ‘secondary sources.’) The primary sources are (usually) provided as links to free online sources. Detailed instructions identify the exact passages to read.

Please note that this is NOT a research assignment. You should NOT search for additional information on the text(s) or its author(s) or try to find ‘the right answers’ to the Reading Assignment Questions. Rather, you should ‘struggle’ with the text(s) and make sure to answer all parts of the questions completely and thoroughly to the best of your understanding.

Your Reading Assignment submission will be checked for plagiarism. See syllabus for plagiarism policy and academic integrity guidelines.

The Reading Assignment is due by the due date specified in the course calendar. Late submissions (as marked by Canvas) will result in ‘0’ points for the Reading Assignment. Please make sure to carefully follow the directions provided and adhere to the deadline specified in the course calendar.

Directions

Jeremy Bentham: An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (Links to an external site.). Please read Chapter I: Of the Principle of Utility.

John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism (Links to an external site.). Please read the first seven (7) paragraphs of Chapter 2: What Utilitarianism Is. Paragraph 7 starts with the words “Whoever supposes …” and ends with “… knows both sides.”

After careful reflection, please answer the following questions:

1. According to Bentham, what is the foundation for morality? How is this ‘Principle of Utility’ supposed to work? Please explain, using a concrete example of a moral decision.
2. According to Mill, it “is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.” What is this meant to illustrate? Carefully explain Mill’s distinction between higher and lower pleasures.

Your response to each question should be about 300 – 400 words in length, but please feel free to be as detailed as you wish. Your responses must be written in full sentences, logically structured, using proper grammar and spelling, and appropriate style. It is recommended that you write out your answers using a word processing program and copy and paste the completed response. This will avoid loss of work in case of internet outage, etc. Always keep a backup copy of all written work.

Due Date

The due date for your Reading Assignment is specified in the course calendar.

Evaluation

Your Reading Assignment will be evaluated on the basis of the Reading Assignment Rubric.

Value

This Reading Assignment is worth 20 points toward your total score for this course. Please see syllabus for details.

Rubric

Reading Assignment Rubric (1)