Ethics is one part of philosophy that will always be studied, and like most subjects in philosophy, will never be viewed the same by everyone. There are so many cultures that have so many different beliefs about the way a person's life should be lived out. Things like religion, poverty, and mental health all contribute to our beliefs in ethics. Some people believe that the mental state of a person or the motive for that person committing a crime should be factors when sentencing time comes. Others think that no matter the situation, a crime is a crime, and no compassion should be felt for the guilty. In the studies of philosophy these beliefs are put into two categories: utilitarian, witch would give leeway to the guilty depending on the circumstances, and Kantian, were a crime is a crime, no matter the motives involved. John Stuart Mill (1808-73) believed in an ethical theory known as utilitarianism. There are many formulations of this theory. One which is, "Everyone should !.
act in such a way to bring the largest possibly balance of good over evil for everyone involved." However, good is a relative term. Utilitarians disagreed on what good really is. Mill made a distinction between happiness and sheer sensual pleasure. He defines happiness in terms of higher order pleasure (i.e. social enjoyments). In his Utilitarianism (1861), Mill described this principle as follows: According to the Greatest Happiness Principle The ultimate end, end, in reference to and for the sake of all other things that are desirable, (whether we are considering our own good or that of other people), is an existence exempt as far as possible from pain, and is rich in enjoyments. Therefore, based on this statement, three ideas may be identified: (1) The goodness of an act may be determined by the consequences of that act. (2) Consequences are determined by the amount of happiness or unhappiness caused. (3) A "good" man is one who considers the other man's pleasure (or pain) as equally as his own.
