Philosophy Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Philosophy Ethics - Essay Example Mill explained this rule with the aid of the principle of utility. According to this principle which is also sometimes referred to as the principle of happiness, for a person to be happy himself he should consider the happiness of others to be as important as his own happiness (Mills 1867). This philosophy of happiness was further explained by John Stuart Mill with the assistance of his theories by putting forward the rules of thumb. The reason for presenting these rules was that Mill argued that a person should not misunderstand the meaning of happiness. These rules were used by him to support the theory of maximizing happiness and provide an insight into the meaning of this principle. These rules encompass the aspects of this principle to cover the features and the characteristics which should be understood about it. The rules of thumb were to be always considered to reach to a proper conclusion as to what happiness actually is. According to these rules, it is through knowledge and learning that a person actually gets to know that what act will bring about the maximum happiness. The reason behind this is that it is through awareness of the developing of humans and human nature that one can understand that what act is morally correct and will actually bring about the maximum happiness for the maximum number of people. These rules also present that a person should increase his level when thinking about happiness. That is happiness should not be restricted to certain things. A person should search for happiness in everything that surrounds him. These things can range from nature to music to history and art. That is a person should be learned and it is through his knowledge that he will be able to find happiness in all these things. An example of education can be considered here as to how much educated an individual is to know about certain facts about life. Being educated would help an individual to distinguish between the higher and lower pleasures in terms of happiness. He would understand as to which pleasures are attainable and which are not. With appropriate education the individuals are able to experience both the lower and higher forms of pleasure through which they can decide as to what they would prefer. With enough education one can know about different things existing in the world and thus individuals can then decide as to which happiness they really want. (Mills 1867; Steward & Blocker 2005). To make his theory even better understood Mill clearly presented the exceptions that implied to this rule of happiness. He explained that though acts like lying and murder are considered to be wrong under normal circumstances but these acts become acceptable under certain conditions. An example to this can be that when a person has to protect himself from a murderer he has a right to act in self defense. Another example which can be considered is a person can lie when the person has to conceal some information from someone who might misuse it and cause great harm. Mill is quoted as â€Å"Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain† (Mill 1986 ii). According to the utilitarian position, it is the consequences of an act that matter the most. In this regard, John Stuart Mill who was a

Advertising and Semiotics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Advertising and Semiotics - Essay Example Semiotics, in an overview, is the study of the production of meanings from sign-systems, in both linguistic and non-linguistic manner (Hawkes, 1977). Distinctly, traditions of inquiry (human) form a more general science of signs. The scope of semiotics goes beyond spoken or written language to other kinds of communicative systems. Examples are semiotic uses in cinema (making movies), advertising (print ad and catchy commercials), gesture (hand manners), and cuisine (a finished product that tickles the taste buds before it even touches your mouth and eats it). It is, therefore, a complex process of signifying and suggestive subtleties. The American philosopher C.S. Peirce (1839-1914) founded Semiotics and independently by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) who has prepared the principles and concepts and the distinction between signifier and signified and between langue and parole as described in the Georgetown archives. Forming the basis of structuralism and its thrust toward literature, de Saussure became furthermore influential by this discipline. Peirce however, used a different set of terms to describe sign functions, which for him were a â€Å"conceptual† progression continually â€Å"unfolding and unending† (what he termed â€Å"unlimited semiosis†, the chain of meaning-making by new signs interpreting a prior sign or set of signs). But for social scrutiny, both school of thoughts on semiotics isolated sign functions. This reveals a set-up of relationships through the intricate social use – because cultures are fashioned through language, and language mediates o r is a way of knowing things, interpreting and representing the true value and is made available when signs and sign systems are then collectively used effectively in our daily communication. Prominence in terms of shared conventions and codes like the level of expression for the signifier (â€Å"the untouched impression  Ã‚  of speech sounds or the visual impression of written characters and images†) and the signified (â€Å"the level of content or value, what is associated with the signifier in a language†) is the gist of de Saussure’s doctrine and concepts.