Critique of Utilitarianism Theory

Critique of Utilitarianism Theory Utilitarianism as an independent ethical position only arose in the eighteenth century however fundamental utilitarian ideas can be found in the thoughts of philosophers such as Aristotle. It is a philosophical theory of morality or how one should act which has historical roots within the liberal tradition. The aim of utilitarianism is to make decisions on the basis of a calculation of consequences. As a moral theory, There are however many critiques of utilitarianism which vary as they have different reasons and different targets due to the fact utilitarianism isnt a single coherent theory but a cluster of related theories which have developed throughout the years. In this essay I will be explaining some of the problems with utilitarianism as a theory and discussing whether these problems are insurmountable, for which I think they are. As a theory, utilitarianism is usually thought to start with Jeremy Bentham, however, similar ideas were evident in the writings of David Hume in An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1)and Francis Hutchinson, whom David Hume studied under, in his An Inquiry into the Original of Our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue (2). Utilitarianism tells us an act is moral insofar as it creates the greatest good for the greatest number. It tells us to take the amount of happiness distributed between sentient beings and look at which distribution is going to maximise the amount of happiness. It gives a systematic answer. Throughout the past two centuries utilitarianism has been very influential within practical disciplines of politics and economics. As a result, utilitarianism has had an influence modern life, particularly public policy. What could be more important when making political deliberations than aiming to make peoples lives better and less unhappy? One of the first utilitarian theorisers, Jeremy Bentham, is famously credited for being the founder of the doctrine. Bentham defined utility as instrumental to happiness. He believes that all judgements of good and bad can be based on pleasure and pain. He is seen as an advocate of psychological hedonism. In his famous introduction of An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1979), Bentham states Nature has placed man under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. Therefore, pain and pleasure provide the basis for his moral theory of what we ought to do. Initially, he began his career by studying law and then moved on to moral ethics in order to advise legislators. He was primarily interested in improving the law and his goal for the legislator was the utilitarian principle or the greatest happiness principle. Therefore, his advice was not initially aimed for individuals and their life choices but for the legislator. Although Bentham sees pleasu re as the key of explaining how human beings act, he relies more often on the concept of pain when constructing his legal theory. While he does endorse act-utilitarianism, his sanction-based theory of obligation is more applicable to the legal system he was so interested in improving. John Stuart Mill is also one of the most well-known utilitarian thinkers and defenders of the theory. His celebrated thoughts can be found in his famous essay: Utilitarianism. Mill observes something of a crisis in moral thinking. Philosophical thinkers have been unable to come to a consensus on the principle of what constitutes right and wrong. Mill argues that having such a foundation is necessary to legitimise morality. This is why the theory of utilitarianism is so important. Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill categorise and measure utility and pleasure in different ways. Bentham uses the hedonic calculus which decides the value of pleasure by seven measures of quantity: duration, intensity, certainty or uncertainty, remoteness or propinquity, fecundity, extent and purity. Bentham is well-known for his treating of all pleasures as of equal value. By this he means not that all pleasures are of exactly equal, but that the legislator who his work on utilitarianism is aimed at should not be valuing one pleasure above another. John Stuart Mill however saw pleasures in two categories higher and lower pleasures. A criticism of John Stuart Mills utilitarianism, and the first problem with the theory that I shall be addressing, is his categorisation of higher and lower pleasures. The difference between these pleasures is founded on sort and not degree, therefore this makes comparison of the consequence of actions far more difficult to calculate. Higher and lower pleasures cannot be measure or compared as they are of a different kind. How would Mills version of utilitarianism be applied in situations in which bother higher and lower pleasures are involved in the calculation? In relation to John Stuart Mills classification of higher and lower pleasures, a common criticism of simple versions of the theory such as Benthams utilitarianism is that they reduce the subtleties of human life to a stark calculation of animal-like pleasures, with no concern for how these pleasures are produced. This gave utilitarianism a bad name and it was often mocked as a doctrine only worthy of swine. (philosophy of the classics, mill utilitarianism). John Stuart Mill defends utilitarianism from such criticism with his version which differs from Jeremy Benthams simple version: Mills differentiation between higher and lower pleasures puts forward that intellectual pleasures are intrinsically more valuable that physical pleasures. Bentham however treats all pleasures as equal to each other. So, when utilitarianism is described as a doctrine worthy only of swine, Mill argues that it is better to be a dissatisfied human being than a satisfied pig; and better to be a dissatisfied So crates than a satisfied fool. His defence is that human beings are capable of intellectual pleasures as well as physical ones, whereas pigs cannot enjoy intellectual pleasures. In his view, humans who have experienced intellectual pleasures will prefer them to lower, physical ones. Those who still are lead astray by lower physical ones are falling for immediate sensual gratification, even though they know full well that higher, intellectual pleasures are more worthwhile. John Stuart Mils idea of higher and lower pleasures has been viewed as flawed in itself. It has been criticised as a self-serving idea. For example, an intellectual will view his preferred enjoyments as a higher, more important pleasure. Therefore, as an intellectual, it could be argued that Mill himself is biased towards what constitutes as higher and lower pleasures. A further and harsh criticism of utilitarianism is that the theory would justify slavery. This is as long as the slaves were happy or the overall happiness gained by the beneficiaries of the slavery was calculated as than the slaves unhappiness. Bentham fiercely denies this to be the case, as he argues that the choices of human beings give the best inclination of what makes humans happy, and slavery by definition is never a choice and therefore slaves can never be said to be happy. Bentham is also well known for his application of utilitarianism as the greatest happiness for the greatest number. This can subsequently be translated to mean that utilitarianism sacrifices the unfortunate few the powerful many. Therefore it has been argued by some that regarding the slavery example mentioned previously; if the vast economic benefits of slavery outweighed the unhappiness of the slaves then slavery is still favoured by utilitarianism. Bentham argues against this however as he claims the greatest happiness for the greatest number should be applied in a way that the interest of the powerless many should be more important than the interests of the powerful few. Another fundamental criticism of utilitarianism is that it ignores justice. A classic example of this criticism was given by H. J. McCloskey McCloskey, H.J. (1957) An Examination of Restricted Utilitarianism in The Philosophical Review, Vol. 66, No. 4 (Oct., 1957), pp. 466-485. If framing an innocent man for a crime that would reduce the further riots and pain that looking for the real guilty person would incur, utilitarian theory would suggest that this would be the optimal choice as although an innocent man will suffer, for a greater number of people less pain will be caused, incurring in a calculation of more pleasure overall. Therefore, if the sole aim of utilitarian theory is to maximise pleasure and reduce pain for the greater number, justice will be ignored in situations such as this example. Bentham however argues that it is a serious misrepresentation to say that utilitarians would be willing to ignore justice and punish an innocent man in the name of the greater good. ADD t o benthams defence. Another problem with utilitarianism is the impracticality of calculating the utility of actions in real time. The calculation of utility is said to be self-defeating as by the time the best utilitarian course of action has been calculated and decided, the opportunity to take this action may well have passed. How can one calculate which of all possible actions will maximise the most happiness overall. What if one is in a dilemma and has a decision to make quickly? In high pressure situations, one usually does not have time to sit down and make exact calculations regarding which decision will bring about the most happiness and minimise pain. Mill deflected this objection with the response that humans learn general moral principle though experience that can later be relied on in such situations. Exact calculations are not necessary for each situation in life as this would be impractical. In chapter 2 of his essay Utilitarianism, Mill replies to such criticism: In such circumstances, one should follow common-sense moral rules, which summarize lots of human experience, and tend to guide us toward actions that promote general happiness and away from actions that tend to dampen it. Also, one can cultivate habits and train individual character, so that people become disposed to act in ways that are happiness-promoting. I feel his reply is valid as utilitarianism as a theory is still in use when making decisions in ordinary situations without exact calculations. It is logical to assume common sense moral rules as guidance when making decisions without needing to apply exact calculations. A further problem of John Stuart Mills utilitarianism is that strict application of some utilitarian principles can result in unpalatable consequences. This has been argued by many of utilitarianism critics and there are plentiful examples of scenarios where consequences of utilitarianism being applied leads to unacceptable consequences. A great difficulty with utilitarianism is that for one to truly take on a core principle such as the greatest happiness for the greatest number, is very demanding. Everything action an individual undertakes would become a moral obligation to help a greater number of people. It requires the actor to be impartial regarding his own happiness and desires and focus neutrally on the happiness of others over one sown. as between his own happiness and that of others, utilitarianism requires him to be as strictly impartial as a disinterested and benevolent spectator. (jsmill utilitarianism chapter 2) What makes this so demanding is the excessive amount of strangers in need of help and the indefinite opportunities there are to make sacrifices to maximise their happiness. This is also a problem as there is no differentiation between helping your friends and family before complete strangers. For example, choosing to work excessively and earn as much money as possible to help those in poverty wou ld be the correct utilitarian choice as it does the most good for the most people. We would become charitable cogs and ignore our human nature to have personal leisure time for example and engage with our individual wants and needs. This ties in with the criticism of utilitarianism that it ignores individuality and individual rights which is a main topic of criticism. As a theory, utilitarianism cannot respect the rights of individuals mill defends. Taking into account John Stuart Mills defence, I personally do not think that utilitarianism looks at individuals as unique and groups people together without regard for their individuality. One would become a martyr for greater happiness, disregarding ones own, apparently less important wants, needs and desires. Utilitarian thinkers argue that the world would in fact be a much better place if we did live by principle. I disagree and feel that in this sense utilitarianism is overly demanding and has a lack of respect for individual righ ts. This is a key problem with the theory that I do not believe is insurmountable as it would deter individuals from engaging with the theory. Act-utilitarianism is too demanding Therefore critics of utilitarian argue this overly demanding theory would leave one with a life of hardship and austerity. Bernard Williams is an infamous critic of utilitarian theory. He states that we need a sense of integrity and commitments to justify any morality. He effectively argues that utilitarianism misses moral agency. His example of this problem with utilitarianism is the differentiation between an act and the consequence. It is hard to justify that the action rather than a possibly terrible consequence is what makes an action immoral. Too much egoistic weight is placed on personal actions. For example, the action of shooting someone with a gun rather than the victim dying is what is wrong with such a scenario for a utilitarian. Williams argues that we do not judge actions by their consequences and this notion of utilitarianism should be rejected no matter how plausible it may seem. Williams believes this way of judgement removes what it is to be human from the scenario. Moral decision should preserve our psychological identity and integrity. John Stuart Millss proof of utilitarianism has also come under constant criticism. His answer the question why maximise happiness? is controversial. Mills claim is that happiness is pursued as an end in itself and is the aim of all human activity. If someone claims that they pursue virtue as an end in itself, Mill argues that this is just an ingredient in their life of happiness and just a means leading to the same end: happiness, pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Virtue is just part of their happiness. So for Mill, the question of why maximise happiness? is in fact a question of why happiness is desirable. His analogous answer to this is that The only way we can prove an object is visible is by demonstrating that people can actually see it. Therefore the evidence that happiness is desirable is that people desire it. This evidence of proof has come under much criticism as it is argued by Henry Sidgwick that itis based on a bad argument. First of all he criticises the comparison of what is desirable and what is visible. Visible means can be seen however desirable doesnt actually translate to can be desired. In fact it is more correctly translated to mean should be desired. This weakness of John Stuart Mills analogy makes it hard to compare what people do desire to what people should desire. Therefore, his proof of happiness being desirable is based fully on bad argument. As the fundamental aim of utilitarianism is the maximise happiness, the fact that Mill has difficulty proving that happiness is what the people desire is a fundamental problem with the theory that I do not feel can be ignored. It is also argued that if John Stuart Mill had given a correct analogy, his argument would have lead to a selfish version of utilitarianism compared to the utilitarian approach that the greatest happiness for the greatest number its aim. In Mills example, individuals wanting their own personal happiness will add up to an aggregate happiness. Therefore, it is argued he needs a far stronger argument than his given analogy to prove that general happiness is what all people should aim for. It is clear that utilitarianism, although often considered a simple theory which declares that the morally right action in any circumstances is the one which is most likely to maximise happiness, is actually a very complex cluster of related theories which have developed rapidly since the 18th century. Throughout this time many features of utilitarianism have come under constant criticism and as a normative theory it has been widely accused of being unworkable. I do believe that utilitarianism has flaws which John Stuart Mill as the theorys key defender has been unable to explain adequately. A lot of Mills utilitarianism is defendable such as how he deals with the objection that the calculations are impractical. However some of his answers to criticism do not persuade me that the problems with utilitarianism are surmountable. I sympathise with the criticism that utilitarianism is overly demanding and following rule utilitarianism strictly would lead to a life of austerity and self-de nial. As a moral basis for some decision making I think utilitarianism could have use in society today, however, as moral theory I do not think that it upholds and the problems within it are insurmountable. The criticisms I have mention in this essay are not exhaustive.

The Enlightenment Essay -- History Historical French Essays

The Enlightenment Throughout Europe and the new American colonies in the 18th century there was a great movement in thought. This trend that preceded the French Revolution is known as the Enlightenment. Revolutionary writers and thinkers thought that the past held only darkness and ignorance, they began to question everything. Enlightened thought entered, or intruded, into all aspects of life in the 1700s. Governments were drastically reformed, art and literature changed in scope, religion was threatened, the study of science spread, nature was seen in a new light, and humanity evolved greatly. This new way of thinking was propelled by curiosity and observations of society and nature. The Enlightenment was a desire for human affairs to be guided by rationality rather than by faith, superstition, or revelation; a belief in the power of human reason to change society and liberate the individual from the restraints of custom or arbitrary authority; all backed up by a world view increasingly validated by science rather than by religion or tradition. 1 Several individuals have been credited and blamed for leading and contributing to the Enlightenment. These thinkers not only changed their views, but also spread revolutionary ideas to others. These philosophes, Evangelists of science, felt that it was their duty to open peoples’ eyes to new thought. They used every media available to them including word of mouth, pamphlets, letters, journals and books. Philosophes were tired of people accepting anything they were told, consequently a large opponent of the Enlightenment Era was the Church. Knowledge gained through observation of nature slowly replaced blindly accepted religious explanations. The Enlightenment wa... ...am, they could harness it with the steam engine. Thus, emerged the Industrial Revolution, which would never have been possible had humans not owned the knowledge gained from the Enlightenment. Literature Cited 1. Dorinda Outram, The Enlightenment (New York, Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge ,1995), 3. 2. Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment and Frank M. Turner, The Western Heritage, Second Brief Edition, Volume II: Since 1648 (Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall, 1996), 397. 3. Outram, 58. 4. Kagan, 401. 5. Britannica Online, â€Å"The Enlightenment†, wysiwyg://176/http://www.britannica.com/†¦ article/5/0,5716,108605+8+106072,00.html, 21. 6. Roy Porter, The Enlightenment, (London, The MacMillan Press Ltd., 1990), 3. 7. Kagan, 403. 8. Outram, 62. 9. Jonathon Weiner, Time, Love, Memory (New York, Vintage Books, 1999), 5.

Investigate the factors affecting the rate of Osmosis :: GCSE Biology Osmosis Coursework

Investigate the factors affecting the rate of Osmosis Planning Osmosis is the diffusion of water from a lower concentration of solute to a higher concentration of solute, through a partially permeable membrane. In a high concentration of water the amount of solute (e.g. sucrose) is low. This could be called a weak or dilute solution. In a low concentration of water the amount of solute is high. This could be called a strong or concentrated solution. When a partially permeable membrane divides two such solutions, the water will move from the area of high concentration to the area of low concentration until both sides are equal. In plant cells water flows through the cell wall and cell surface membrane into the vacuole from the outside. As a result, the cell swells up. It doesn't burst as the cell wall stops the cell expanding too much; at this point we say a cell is fully turgid. Aim The purpose of my investigation is to investigate the factors affecting the rate of Osmosis. The key factors I have found affect this are: Length - of membrane Temperature - of water Concentration - of solution The factor I am going to investigate is the concentration of the solution in which the potatoes are placed. By doing this I will have to control all other factors to ensure a fair test, these are; doing all the tests at room temperature to control the temperature as a higher temperature would mean diffusion would occur quicker. The mass and surface area of the potatoes at the beginning of the experiment are other controls I will need to monitor to ensure a fair test. The mass of the potato is a dependent variable; this means that it will be measured throughout the experiment. I will measure the mass in grams correct to 2d.p. The potato chip will be measured before it is put in the solution, and after. This will allow us to see whether osmosis has taken place, and to what extent. The volume of the solution that the potato chips are kept in must be fair. The must be totally covered in the solution, and the amount of solution will be kept the same because all the potato chips are the same size. The amount of solution I cover each chip in will be 20cm. Prediction I predict in my experiment that the higher the concentration of sugar in the solution, the smaller the potato chip will become. I predict this as the greater the concentration of water in the external solution, the greater the amount of water that enters the cell by

A movie Review about Do the Right Thing

The film Do the Right Thing was a story of the neighborhood of Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, New York. In this mostly African-American neighborhood, everything seemed to be peaceful at the beginning of the hottest day of the year.The Italian-Americans that owned Sal's Famous Pizzeria opened the restaurant, Mookie, the African-American delivery boy for Sal's Famous Pizzeria, reported for work, and the rest of the neighborhood went about their daily business.Toward the middle of the day, Buggin Out, one of Mookie's friends, tried to get a boycott of Sal's pizzeria organized because there were no pictures of African-Americans on Sal's â€Å"Wall of Fame.† No one wanted to be a part of it, because they all loved Sal's Famous Pizzeria.By the time night fell and the pizzeria was about to close for the night, Buggin Out got Radio Raheem to join in the boycott. After a fight started when Sal busted Radio Raheem's boom box, the entire neighborhood got involved.When the police showed up, Mookie 's friend was arrested, and, as the police were trying to subdue Radio Raheem, they accidentally strangled him to death. The police put Radio Raheem's body in the back of the police car and left.   This act of violence made the neighborhood react violently toward Sal, who had nothing to do with how the police treated Radio Raheem.Mookie was the first to throw a trash can through a window of the pizzeria. After that, people from the neighborhood stormed the restaurant, stealing the money, breaking everything inside before finally setting the pizzeria ablaze. Sal's Famous Pizzeria was gone.The heat outside was a metaphor for the tensions that arose in the neighborhood.   As the weather got hotter, the tension mounted. As people became agitated because of the heat, they also became agitated because of the underlying racial conflicts that seemed to infiltrate the neighborhood.   When the heat rose to its hottest point, the tension boiled over, resulting in the death of Radio Rahee m and the riot at Sal's Famous Pizzeria.For example, at about the mid-point of the day, Da Mayor is confronted by a group of neighborhood teenagers.   The teenagers ask Da Mayor why he gets to be the â€Å"mayor† and that he walks up and down the block like he owns it.   They resort to calling him a fossil and a bum.   Da Mayor replies that until they know how it feels not to be able to feed their families, they do not know him, or anything at all.   From this scene, the tension got worse as the day got longer, resulting in the riot.The heat was palpable; it was an entity that slowed the characters down and each were forced to overcome it.   This entity was akin to a demon.   It interfered with each person's conscience and forced each individual to make rash decisions.In essence, the heat made the characters act out in the violent way that they did.   If it were not for the extreme heat, perhaps the decisions would have been different, and the riot could have be en avoided.Several people â€Å"do the right thing† throughout the film.   For example, Da Mayor does the right thing when he pushed the little boy out of the way of a speeding car, saving his life.Mookie does the right thing when he escorts Buggin Out out of Sal's Famous Pizzeria when he started to get belligerent. Sal does the right thing when, even though Mookie started the riot, he pays Mookie what he owes him for his work the previous night.However, in the events leading up to and during the riot, no one does the right thing.   Sal broke the boom box, which resulted in him being attacked and Mookie threw the trash can through a window of the pizzeria, which resulted in a riot. In view of the bigger picture, Sal's pizzeria still burned down, Mookie is still out of a job, and the entire neighborhood is a little worse for wear.Just because a couple of people did the right thing throughout the day does not mean that everything should be forgiven.   The tension, like th e heat, infected everyone like a sickness. People were already belligerent from the heat, and the accumulation of the day's events added fuel to the fire.The riot turned into a race war.   In the end, no one won. There was still a loss felt, for both Radio Raheem, who died at the hands of the police, and for a long-time member of the neighborhood, Sal's pizzeria.

RH Bill: Hanging in the Balance Essay

The Philippines for the longest time has been torn by two, not necessarily opposing, but somehow different, forces; the church and the state. Though there has been a decree on the inviolable separation of these entities , more often than not, when societal issues confronting the state’s political affairs fall under â€Å"moral dilemmas,† the church can not help coming into the scene. This is the same case happening with the season’s national concern: House Bill 96, otherwise known as the Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population and Development Act . Banking on the potentials of the said bill to drastically minimize the ballooning population of the country, the Aquino administration openly admitted its all-out support for the bill’s being enacted into law. This could be done, as the bill suggests, through maintaining feedom of informed choice wherein parents, couples and women enjoy the liberty or option of choosing from a menu of modern natural and artificial family planning methods which are medically safe, legal, accessible, affordable and effective. This caused the moralist groups, headed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, to react violently. They expressed apprehensions that such a bill was by nature promoting looser morals that would eventually lead to a morally-corrupt society. The inculcation of sex education in the academic curriculum is simply unorthodoxical, and as such, is morally unacceptable. However the bill’s proponents contented that the said bill is not what the moralist pictured it to be. That it is about the government’s wholesome response to reproductive health concerns that for ages have been left unattended, and which were held accountable for the rapid proliferation of  the Filipino race and the perennial poverty that goes with it. The discussion may seen endless as each party stands firm on the ideals it represents. But at the day’s end, it would always be up to the individual couple, the direct recipients of such a bill, to decide for theselves whether or not to adhere to the proposals of whom. It is just hoped that their decision is designed based on how it would serve the union best and the country’s welfare in general.

A Comparative Study of Criminal Justice Major Students

The study probes the perceptions of criminal justice majors. In essence, the study aims to determine if the formal educational background of a criminal justice major is a vital factor in the shaping of an individual’s perception of the criminal justice system as compared to those who do not have any.Students from the university were sampled to serve as the respondents for the study who were divided into two groups: criminal justice majors and non majors. The study’s assumption was: there is no significant difference between the perception of the criminal justice majors and non majors.Chapter I: IntroductionOver the years, studies have been made to shed light on the issue of criminal justice as perceived by the general public and by the criminal justice majors. The perception of the general pubic and the criminal justice majors, of course, differs in a lot of aspects.Logically, non criminal justice majors or the public mainly rely on the mass media for the information th at they need while the criminal justice majors have a broader background on the issue of crime and criminal justice.Criminal justice majors are usually exposed with researches that would explain phenomena in the field of criminal justice. Thus, there is a definite difference between the perception of the criminal justice majors and the public (Tsoudis, 2000).But then, an exploratory study is needed to further back up this claim. Does the education background of the criminal justice majors has something to do with their perception of crime and criminal justice?How can this educational background of the criminal justice majors would eventually influence or affect the perception of the general public? How influential can the media be in shaping the public’s perception of crime and criminal justice?These questions are only few that have to be answered to prove that the claims of the previous studies are valid and logical.The media has also been the main source of information amon g the public. Undeniably, groups of people mainly rely their notion and perceptions over things on the information that they consume provided by the media.There have been debates over the influence of the media and its tendency to veer away from truth. Some media outfits are guilty of exaggerating news items especially those dealing with crimes for the simple reason of getting a â€Å"controversial scoop† or because they have doing it unconsciously.Nadler (2005) writes, â€Å"Such media play can undermine the public’s perception of the legitimacy of law enforcement generally.   This loss of legitimacy and distrust of the fairness of the legal system, can in turn lead to more widespread lawbreaking.†Connie McNeely (1995) writes that most of what Americans understand about law enforcement comes from what they view in the media, mainly television and movies.Aside from these media experiences, many Americans do not have the first hand knowledge of the inter-workin gs of border patrol or general law enforcement at the community level.True enough, media have the great role of shaping the minds of its audience.Because her insights are somewhat outdated in this day and age of television shows like CSI and 24, it would be interesting to carry out further study of this idea.   Still her study warrants close examination as she furthers her argument by writing:

Ice Cream Survey

Survey Result Analysis We had a balanced amount of men and women mostly between the ages of 20-30, partake in our survey. However there was a wide range of age from 15-60. Almost all of our applicants were originally from South Dakota, Nebraska, or North Dakota. We did have a few people from California and from Arizona. Almost all of our applicants enjoyed breakfast food with 38 people. They usually buy ice cream in the summer, but 25 still stated they bought ice cream on a monthly basis. Almost everyone said they buy ice cream both at the store, and at ice cream stores like Dairy Queen. 3 of 44 applicants said they preferred to go to a place like Dairy Queen than the grocery store. $3-4 was the overall average that applicants said they would spend on ice cream at a retailer. $5-6 was the average spent at a grocery store. Applicants were about even when it came to the size of the container. We learned that frozen yogurt was a bad idea because almost everyone preferred ice cream over frozen yogurt. A small amount of 10 people looked at the nutrition facts on ice cream. Only 2 people preferred and ice cream with no sugar added. 3 applicants said that they buy the same flavor of ice cream every time. While 21 like to try new flavors of ice cream. It was a very close race between one solid flavor or multiple flavors. The majority was multiple flavors. Another thing that was interesting was the amount of applicants that stated that they like extra toppings on their ice cream. More than twice as many consumers eat ice cream out of the dish rather than the cone. 25 of out applicants said that they eat breakfast daily. 10 said 3-4 times week, and 7 said less than 2 times a week.Over 80% of our applicants agreed that they found ice cream enjoyable. The same amount liked the taste of bacon. About 60% said that nutrition was important to them. About 70% enjoyed the taste of maple syrup. Over 60% were willing to try new foods. After conclusive results found from our survey , we chose Maple Bacon to be our ice cream flavor. Our survey applicants stated that they buy ice cream by the gallon, quart, and by the pint. So we decided to just serve our ice cream in a gallon and in a pint. The average price people said they were willing to pay at a grocery was around $5-6 dollars.With that said, we decided that a pint of our ice cream should cost around $3. 50, and our gallons should cost about $5. 50. We also believe that because maple bacon is truly a unique flavor, so there is added perceived value to it. We also believe that if we could sign a contract with Dairy Queen, it would significantly improve our sales. People seem to like to try new flavors at places like this. It would also be a great for marketing. Final Tally Are you Male or Female? 23 males, 21 female What is your age? Large range, from ages 10-60, with a mean of 24Where did you grow up? Rapid City, Huron, Montrose, California, Spearfish Do you particularly enjoy breakfast foods? 38 people enj oy, 6 dislike How often do you eat ice cream in a week's time? 24 people said once or less per week, 12 people said at least once per week, 5 people said they don’t consume ice cream on a weekly basis. How often do you purchase ice cream: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly? At least 25 people said monthly. A few people said yearly, and over 5 people said weekly Are you willing to buy ice cream at the grocery store? 8 people are willing to buy ice cream at the grocery store 7 people are not willing Do you prefer to go to a place where ice cream is made to your liking, i. e (Dairy Queen) over buying ice cream at the grocery store? 43 people prefer going to a place like Dairy Queen Do you prefer purchasing a pint, quart or a gallon of ice cream at a time? There was an even amount of 14 people for each group How much  are you willing to pay for an ice cream treat at a place like Dairy queen? 3-4$ was the mean How much are you willing to pay for ice cream purchased at a grocery stor e? -6$ was the mean Do you prefer frozen yogurt over ice cream? 35 people prefer ice cream, 8 people prefer frozen yogurt Would you prefer an ice cream with no sugar added? Only 1 or 2 people preferred ice cream with no sugar added. Do you consider nutrition facts when purchasing ice cream? 34 people don’t look at the fact when 10 people do. When purchasing ice cream, do you experiment with new flavors or buy the same flavor every time? 23 people buy the same flavor every time, while 21 people try new flavors Do you prefer a solid flavor over a multiple flavored ice cream?This was about even with 22 for each Do you enjoy extra toppings on your ice cream? 24 enjoy extra topping while 20 don’t enjoy toppings Do you prefer eating ice cream out of a cone or in a dish? 30 people said dish, while 14 said cone. How often do you eat breakfast during the week? 25 said daily, while 10 said 3-4 times a week, and 7 said less than 2 times a week. Answer the following questions on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 agree and 1 disagree I bolded the most average choiceStrongly Disagree   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Strongly Agree – I find ice cream enjoyable  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7 – I like the taste of bacon  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7 – Nutrition is important to me  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   – I enjoy maple syrup  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7 – I am willing to try new things  Ã‚  Ã‚   1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   – I enjoy trying new foods  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7