Milners Response to Too High for Humanity Essay - 790 Words

Too High for Humanity This paper will evaluate the merits of the argument â€Å"Too high for humanity† against the validity the theory Utilitarianism. More specifically we will introduce the argument, Milner’s responses to the argument then analyze the arguments’ structure, validity and soundness. The argument â€Å"Too high for humanity† is the notion that: if being morally right only exists when people maximize pleasure to society, then it is something that humans are not capable of. To clarify, this is implying that humans, by nature, are not willing to sacrifice themselves for the maximum gain of society; thus the practice of Utilitarianism is beyond humans and not a practical theory to judge morality. Expanding from this; another point raised†¦show more content†¦His objection translates to: we do not need the motive of maximizing happiness but Utilitarianism requires that we are maximizing happiness. To refute the second point, Milner states â€Å"The occasions on which any person has it in his power on an extended scale†¦ are but exceptional; and on these occasions alone is he called on to consider public utility†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p.175). In other words, generally people do not have a significant influence on increasing the happiness of large groups s o the alternative is to maximize one’s own happiness instead. Milner’s explanation for the third point is that right and wrong acts are separate from being praiseworthy and blameworthy. For example referring back to Pinky’s scenario, he did the right act because he did in fact discover a cure for the sickness, but as his intent was to murder his grandmother for money, he is blameworthy. . â€Å"Too high for humanity† claims that: Utilitarianism states that if you do not maximize happiness you are wrong, people are not willing to sacrifice themselves in order to act in the interest of others, if people are almost always wrong then it is beyond humanity, therefore Utilitarianism is too high for humanity. This argument has valid structure as it follows a variation of Modus Ponens and the conclusion reflects the premises. The truth of the premises 1 and 3 are common knowledge. As for premise 2, itShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Degradation of Communication on the Internet5426 Words   |  22 Pagesruns--but it does not punish. The machine does not judge its user as inadequate. Rather, faced with poor performance on the part of its human, the computer just ignores it and waits patiently for the next input. The computer is like a parent who has high hopes for you but rewards your achievement, even if it is less than optimum. The machine always holds out more goals to strive for, but these goals are realistic, and its up to you whether to go for them or not (Shotton 1989, 167). If the computer