Reference no: EM133563668

Question: discuss the topic using the following reading with references - Explaining Utilitarianism This theory originates with Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). It was later developed further by John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) who is probably its most well known defender. Why believe in utilitarianism? One starting point is to begin with the idea of intrinsic value. Intrinsic Value vs. Instrumental Value Intrinsic Value - a thing has intrinsic value if you value it for itself, i.e., you'd value it even if it brought you nothing else. (It may, however, also possess instrumental value.) Instrumental Value - a thing has only instrumental value if it is only valuable for something else it brings you or gets you, e.g., money -Would any of us value money if was no longer useful for acquiring things? A Big Question: What, if anything, has intrinsic value? This is a tougher question to answer that you might first think. Consider some of the common suggestions people offer: love, education, health. Do they turn out to actually have only instrumental value, i.e., are they only valuable because they are thought to be things that will bring us happiness? Utilitarians maintain this is so. They think that one and only one