1. Suppose we have $1 million of
government money. We can use it either to build a new school for one hundred
children, or to buy one million ice cream cones for one million children.
Should we buy the ice cream cones, if that would produce the greatest balance
of pleasure? Are all pleasures created equal?
No, we should not use the money to buy all of the kids ice cream cones because that would be temporary happiness. The new school, although it would only be for one hundred children, would end up making those kids happier for the long run and would eventually lead to successful adults. Thus, all pleasures aren't completely equal. There are temporary pleasures and long-term pleasures, and each have their own times.
ReplyDeleteWe shouldn't buy the ice cream cones because like Janey said, it would only bring the kids temporary happiness. The new school even if it is only for 100 children will bring more success to them and lead to a greater happiness in their entire life. It will enable them to explore options and do something big instead of eating an ice cream cone. All pleasures are NOT equal, there are temporary and others that can last a life time.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Janey, the ice cream cones will not, in the long run, give and sustain a good level of happiness. I believe that when thinking about happiness, we need to thinkb"big-picture". If we can give 100 kids a solid education, they can grow up to get nice jobs and THEN they can buy all the ice cream they want with a steady income. We can essenially turn that $1 million into a number that is exponentially greater based on the amount each of those kids could earn, with a decent career. Don't get me wrong, ice cream is a very happy occasion, but it won't last forever unless we had a steady flow of cash rolling in to supply us with that money. Again, I believe that it is more important to do what's going to bring you MORE happiness LATER, than just a LITTLE happiness NOW.
ReplyDeleteIf we were allowed 1 million dollars as a government, I would build the school for the 100 children instead of providing ice cream for a million kids. This is because once the ice cream is gone, then the kids don't have any left and the pleasure is gone. With building a school, the kids have the chance at a better education and more people could take use of it. Some pleasures in my opinion are bigger and more valuable than others. Yes, I might really enjoy that ice cream while it lasts, but having a school to attend to have an education will benefit me in the long run. I want children years from now benefitting from this school. Although the school says it only holds 100 kids, throughout the years, the school could expanded and each year, more and more kids will attend.
ReplyDeleteNo I do not believe that we should buy the ice cream cones. My first reason for that would be because that is only going to bring the children happiness until they eat the whole cone or it melts. I would however argue that, although while in school the children may not enjoy it, it will be more beneficial for them to be able to get jobs, and then make money which in turn is more likely to make them happier. I totally think that there are different "levels of happiness" but I also know that we could not put an official scale on it because while learning an instrument may make me happy for long periods of time, it may also be completely pointless for someone else to participate in. I believe that there are certain things that make us happy that we would all generally rate higher such as family, friends, secure futures, etc. I would argue are higher or more important to MOST people over ice cream, winning games, and shopping. The problem that we run into is how to determine it. In this case, we have to look at the fact that the school will case more happiness even if it is spread over a longer period of time than the ice cream cones temporary happiness.
ReplyDeleteWELL, as much as I love ice cream, the love for the ice cream cone would only last for a few minutes, or until it has melted. building a school, on the other hand, is much more fulfilling and can create more happiness for a much larger group of people. No there cannot be equality when it omes to pleasures. For one, not everyone has the same pleasure, and not everyone can be happy. I do think that we should all strive to achieve equal happiness.
ReplyDeleteI would have a humble school built and have the cafeteria give free ice cream every Friday!!! Therefore, I win!!! Boo yah!!! its a win win situation, nuff said.
ReplyDeleteI believe it would be best to build the school. Yes buying 1 million kids an ice-cream cone will make more kids happy, but that happiness will only last a few minutes, and possibly give a child a stomach ache. Building a school will give a fewer amount of kids happiness, but that happiness will last longer than the kids receiving an ice cream cone. Also, a school can be used for more kids after the 100 graduate, so there's more happiness :-)
ReplyDeleteI think that we should build the school for the 100 children because over the long term it would bring more happiness for a longer amount of time, plus we can reuse it for other children. So while the ice cream may temporarily create more happiness I think that the happiness created from building the school would far outweigh the happiness of the ice cream cones. So I think that in this situation we should go for the option that gives the most happiness I just think that we should look long term happiness rather than short term happiness. I don’t think that all pleasures are created equal because I think that some experiences are going to be more pleasurable for a person which is how people can have favorite things such as food. If all happiness were created equal then there would be no favorite food or favorite drink they would all make you equally happy. Also I think that there are different kinds of pleasure that give you pleasure in different feelings of happiness such as eating your favorite food compared to going on a rollercoaster. They both give you happiness but the happiness you receive from them is equal. Finally the situation can also decide how much happiness something may give you such as your favorite food when you are starving compared to your favorite food when you are full. The food would be more enjoyable when you are starving then when you are full.
ReplyDeleteWe should not buy a million ice cream cones, and we should build the school. All happiness is not created equally. Providing an education for the one hundred students allows them to be productive members of society, and be able to make their own happiness.If the million ice cream cones were bough, the children would be happy for all of five minutes.
ReplyDeleteThe better choice in my opinion would be to build the school. It would make more people happy in the long run,because the school would keep being able to educate children,while the ice cream ran out. Also the school will help the students for the rest of their life, while the pleasure they get from the ice cream could be equal, but it would end.
ReplyDeleteI think building a school for one hundred children would be a better use of the money. While giving a million children ice cream cones brings immediate pleasure, it does not outweigh the long term benefits of 100 kids being educated. This is an example of not all pleasures being created equally. The pleasure of eating ice cream only scratches the surface, while an education brings long lasting pleasure and helps you constantly throughout the span of your life. Another example of pleasures not being created equally is eating Taco Bell vs. spending time with your loved ones. Spending time with your loved ones is a continuously pleasurably activity, while simply eating Taco Bell brings pleasure that will end very quickly.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that the intrinsic value of things goes beyond whether or not they cause pleasure or pain. Pleasure is so relative, and I think that a more concrete standard is needed to quantify the value of something. But even if pleasure was the end-all-be-all, using the money to fund the construction of a new school for one hundred children would be by far the best choice, because the skills acquired through education would provide more opportunities for those children to achieve more later in life. With a greater understanding of the world around them and more specialized skills, these children would be able to secure better jobs and would therefore have more resources and expertise to pour back into society. Because education would later provide these children with more opportunities to stimulate and improve their communities through professional and monetary contributions, the education and success of the few benefits everyone and provides a more long-term source of pleasure. All pleasures are not created equal; some, like the pleasure derived from eating an ice cream cone, is fleeting and empty, while the pleasure that stems from education has a sort of ripple effect that establishes new wellsprings of positive change as it reaches more and more people.
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ReplyDeleteIf I had the choice I would build the school for the kids because in the end the ice cream would only provide temporary happiness for them but the school will provide happiness in the long run and it will benefit them more.
ReplyDeleteEven if you're going with the utilitarian answer, I believe it would be building the school. Eventually, though it would take a long time, perhaps a million people would have attended the school throughout its years. Also, education is something that lasts forever, whereas an ice cream cone is very temporary and will only produce brief happiness. Not only so, but the ice cream cone scenario makes it so that exactly one million people, no more and no less, will experience happiness all at the same time. The first scenario is much less limited, and will provide greater happiness in the long run, which I believe most utilitarians would want. Also, as tasty as ice cream is, it's not healthy and some kids might not sit well with it in their stomach afterwards. Just saying.
ReplyDeleteI would build the school. I would build the school because ice cream cones are temporary pleasure. I think knowledge has more pleasure in the long run because you will continue to have that for the rest of your life. I also think that pleasure is not created equal because ice cream cones give temporary pleasure, building a group of kids education will build the foundation of their life's
ReplyDeleteI will go along with most people and say I would build a school. Ice cream cones are a great pleasure but once thats gone its gone. The school would last alot longer. While a school although most everyone hates it, you learn alot whether its school or experiences which going to school. Not all pleasures are created equal because theres always one that seems better than the other. In this case its the one that will last longer is better.
ReplyDeleteI would choose to build the school, because I feel like that pleasure is a long term, more rewarding pleasure than an ice cream cone that allows temporary pleasure. I feel like pleasures are unequal due to what the pleasure intends to inflict which could be long term, or only for a moment in time, but it solely depends on how a person would appreciate it in their mind, because the pleasure that happens for only a short time might be the better one, I believe that its the way humans view pleasures which makes them unequal more than anything.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we should use the money to build a school, even though it can only hold 100 children. But then that would create a problem with families fighting to get that spot for their children to go to school. So in the end, we need to come up with a plan on how to avoid this kind of problem. To answer the second question, no, not all pleasures are created equal. One person may get pleasure in hurting others (serial killers, bullies, etc.) while another person may get pleasure in earning tons and tons of money, but keeping it all to himself/herself. In conclusion, building a school will have a greater benefit to society in the long run, and people have different ways (good and evil) of finding pleasure.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the kids would be happy if they got ice cream cones, but they would forget about the ice cream cone the next day. If we build them a school, even if it was for only 100 kids, they would be able to go on as successful adults and make themselves happy in more fulfilling ways than ice cream. This is why I think that all happiness is not equal because some happiness is forgotten where as other happiness has to be worked towards, like the school.
ReplyDeleteI would make the money go to building a school. I would do this because even though all kids would enjoy an ice cream cone much more the amount of please would be higher for the parents.This would out weigh the kids pleasure. All pleasures are not created equally. One mans displeasure is another mans pleasure.
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ReplyDeleteThe money should be used on the school. Although more children will benefit initially through the ice cream cones, the ice cream is a temporary source of happiness. Whereas, the school would give knowledge that would last a lifetime for these children. Also, the school would eventually grow into something bigger itself.
ReplyDeleteI think they should create a school because yes the ice cream comes would make the most pleasure but it would but the most pleasure at that time. A new school will make pleasure for a long time. Long term happiness is the best happiness
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ReplyDeleteThe money should be used for the school. First, the ice cream is benefiting nobody but the seller. It's not healthy for the kids and is a waste of money. Second, the money is government money. Which most likely means that citizens taxes were put into that. Their money should not be going towards ice cream. A school is more beneficial. It'll help 100 students learn and potentially have a successful future. Where as an ice cream cone will make them happy for 10 minutes. They get more happiness and pleasure out of school than ice cream. They might not see it now but they will in the future. Some pleasures last 10 minutes and benefit very little. Other pleasures last a life time and benefit a lot.
ReplyDeleteA women's body should be treated with love and respect. "Buying" a women's body is not right. That should not be legal and it shouldn't even be an idea. Money is not supposed to be used to buy sex. It is morally wrong & just overall wrong.
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