BENEFICENCE

Research by: Dioso, Cuambot, Dela Cerna, Poncardas, Ishii

 Beneficence and motives traditionally occupy a central position in
morality. Common examples today include social assistance
programs, scholarships for students in need, community support for
health-related research, animal welfare measures, philanthropy,
disaster relief, programs for the welfare of children and the
incompetent, and preferred recruitment and admissions policy
 In short, Beneficence is to action done to benefit others.
 BASED ON RESEARCH, Beneficence means acts or personal
qualities of mercy, kindness, generosity, and charity. It implies
altruism, love, humanity, and promotes the well-being of others. In
everyday language, the term is very broad, but in ethical theory, it is
still broader and effectively covers all norms, tendencies, and
actions aimed at benefiting or promoting the welfare of others.
Language of Beneficence

 The language of beneficence principles or rules refers to a

normative statement of moral obligation to act for the benefit of
others and help them advance their important and legitimate
interests, usually by preventing or eliminating possible harm.
Theories revolving Beneficence

 Hume’s Theory - Hume’s moral psychology and virtue ethics make motives of
benevolence all important in moral life. He argues that natural benevolence
accounts, in great part, for what he calls the origin of morality. A major theme is
his defense of benevolence as a principle in human nature, in opposition to
theories of psychological egoism.
  Principally, he sees human nature in the domain of moral conduct as a mixture of
benevolence and self-love. Whereas the egoist views human nature as limited to
motives such as survival, fear, ambition, and the search for happiness, Hume
regards persons as motivated by a variety of passions, both generous and
ungenerous.
 Mill’s Theory - Mill’s theory of morality is welfare-oriented at its
core because moral rightness is determined by goodness, which is
itself to be understood in terms of the welfare of individuals. It is a
consequentialist theory because the moral rightness and
obligatoriness of actions are established by their beneficial results.
 Kant’s Theory - He seeks universally valid principles (or maxims)
of duty, and beneficence is one such principle. Kant argues that
everyone has a duty to be beneficent, i.e. to be helpful to others
according to one’s means, and without hoping for any form of
personal gain thereby.