Up@dawn 2.0

Monday, April 29, 2013

Philosophy of Willy Wonka Pt2 Final Megan Phouthavong 14-4


This statement almost exclusively sums up Augustus Gloop. This is the first boy to find a golden ticket. In the 1971 adaptation of the book, it does not say quite how he found the golden ticket, but in the 2005 film, he finds it by biting into the bar, and taking a chunk out of the ticket as well! Suffice to say, this German child is the definition of a glutton.
But, even if you are a glutton, can this make you happy? And how much happiness can this give a person? Jeremy Bentham, a British Philosopher, believed in the idea of measuring your own happiness, and how much it impacts society. Actions for the good of the society is the idea of Utilitarianism. The idea is to create the most happiness with the least amount of suffering. Augustus Gloop really loves to eat. He even states in the scene portrayed above that "I feel sorry for Wonka, its going to cost him a fortune in fudge". His mother also says that eating is her son's hobby. If Augustus had to measure how much happiness eating gave him, I have a feeling it would be close to a 10 on a scale from 1-10! 
I know to some people, eating so much so often would seem disgusting and not worth the time. One could be doing so many other more interesting things than eating! Not so, Bentham would reply. Each action has its own level of happiness and pleasure, based on the person. It is not based upon the action alone. I myself find knitting a little boring and chess to be overwhelming, but others may find them extremely entertaining. 
The one problem I have with this whole idea is the part in which the happiness that comes out of our actions is ultimately good for the society. I do not know how Augustus's eating would be beneficial to the society except for the food industry and the doctor bills when he grows up with high blood sugar and diabetes. 
Another idea that Bentham brings to the table is his belief that everyone strives for complete happiness and no suffering. Augustus does tend to fall close to this line of doing whatever he wants with food and he seems incredibly happy with himself. However, the majority of people, when truly contemplating the idea of eternal bliss, say that they would rather have the realness of life, the good and the bad, than just good all the time. 

Something to ponder on until next time: What do you consider the action that would give you the most amount of please and the least amount of pain? Mine is reading. I love to read. Nothing has ever made me feel as if reading was putting me into any sort of painful situation. I would give reading an 11 on a scale of 1-10. =] 

Approximate word count: 420
Total so far: 965

1 comment:

  1. Nice! I think what gives me a 10/10 on the happiness scale is also reading. I can relax, be alone, and get into a plot or learn something new! Excited for the next one!

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