Complete 6 pages APA formatted article: Freedom of Speech within Utilitarian Approach. According to the majority of the philosophers, the general notion of belief is that there is compatibility between utilitarianism and moral rights. For instance, the famous British philosopher John Stuart Mill, whose contribution is immense in the field of philosophy, perceives a congruency between utilitarianism and moral rights. The constitutional right to freedom of speech enables an individual to protect his freedom of expression (Wellman 2005, p.145). Philosopher Mill loyally supported utilitarianism, and at the same time, defended freedom of speech until or unless it torments the sentiments of others. However, some philosophers believe that there is an incongruous relation between utilitarianism and moral rights (Brandt 1984, p.1).
To understand the interaction between utilitarianism and moral rights, it is necessary to define utilitarianism at first. According to John Stuart Mill, “the utilitarian approach is that happiness is desirable, and the only thing, desirable as an end. all other things being desirable as means to that end.” In support of this, he has also mentioned: “If so, happiness is the sole end of human action, and the promotion of it is the test by which to judge of all human conduct, from whence it necessarily follows that it must be the criterion of morality since a part is included in the whole” (Brandt 1992, pp.197-198). The concept of utilitarianism was ushered in the 19th century by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill to help the legislative units frame different laws that are morally optimal. In the utilitarian approach, firstly, various courses of action are identified. After that, the entities to be possibly affected by each action and what benefits or harms will be caused by each action need to be evaluated. Lastly, a certain action is chosen to produce .the greatest benefits and least harm (Velasquez et al., 2010).
Freedom of speech is invariably represented as a fundamental right by the written Constitution and bills against state suppression and regulation. Freedom of speech is an important concept. The prime function of freedom of speech is a representative range of views. These views are mainly responsible for the decision-making processes at all levels in a societal structure.
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