ipl-logo

A Utilitarian Response

765 Words4 Pages

I am first presented with a scenario involving a runaway trolley that is out of control and if left alone it will kill five people. However, if I were to be standing next to the lever the trolley would switch path and only kill one person. In a different scenario I am on a bridge next to a better large person and I am watching the trolley head towards the five individuals, and if I stand around and do nothing they will be killed. However, I have the option of choosing to stand around and watch the five individuals get killed or push the very large man over and manage to stop the trolley and save the five individuals but kill the very large individual. After reading the scenarios and evaluating my options, I found myself conflicted in deciding which would be the best choice. A utilitarian response seems to be drastic because there are no limits set to what an individual is not allowed to do in the pursuit of their happiness. While my choices were based on allowing the trolley to take its original course and not get involved in the situation myself.
In the first scenario, it would seem easier for me to pull the lever and save the five individuals and kill the one on the opposite tracks. I would …show more content…

Which is unlike a utilitarian point of view, in which the choice will always be the one that produces greater happiness and in each scenario the greater happiness would always be the happiness of the five individuals. This type of viewpoint is something that I disagree with because it does not take into account other important factors. For example, what if the five individuals in both scenarios were criminals and the single individual was a good man. It does not seem fair to let the good man die because he alone does not seem to have the greatest happiness or at least not compared to the five

Show More
Related

Physician Assisted Suicide Utilitarianism

1673 Words | 7 Pages

Physician assisted suicide is currently legal in five U.S. states with fifteen more states reviewing it within the next year making it an important topic to look at morally and ethically. Physician assisted suicide is the act of an individual killing themselves with the help of a physician, usually by taking a lethal dose of a drug. It is important to point out that the patient first has to request it and they complete the ultimate act. This differs from euthanasia where the physician is the one who ultimately causes the death. Physician assisted suicide is requested because the patient is enduring tremendous pain and suffering which can only be ended with their death (Vaughn 293).

Read More

Weston's Ethical Theory

866 Words | 4 Pages

In the book A Practical Companion to Ethics, Weston describes the three most popular ethical theories: The Ethics of Happiness, The Ethics of the Person, and The Ethics of Virtue. After studying the different approaches and discussing them in class, I have found I resonate the most with the Ethics of a Person. I have found this theory emphasizes the importance of human personality and equality, and asks us to treat others as such rather than objects. I interpreted the theory to mean that we all born the same and have the same worth, no matter how different we are individually. It asks us to be aware of each person's unique beauty, and to treat them respectfully, as you would like to be respected in return.

Read More

John Stuart Mill: The Train To The Right Killing One Person

417 Words | 2 Pages

I think I will divert the train to the right killing one person because one person is less important than five. Sometimes it is important to do what is right than what is morally good to do. The utilitarianism is a moral theory that gives happiness to the number of people in the society and it has been considered greatness, an action is morally appropriate if its outcomes lead to happiness and wrong if it results in sadness. I will begin by describing what Mill might do in the Trolley situation. Next, I will contrast what Kant might do in this situation and lastly, I will be also going to give my opinion on this Trolley situation.

Read More

Do The Right Thing Ethics

1355 Words | 6 Pages

The film Do the Right Thing, composed, coordinated and delivered by Spike Lee, concentrates on a solitary day of the lives of racially different individuals who live and work in a lower class neighborhood in Brooklyn New York. Be that as it may, this conventional day happens on one of the most sweltering days of the mid year. The film focuses on how social class, race and the ethical choices that the characters make directly affect the way individuals interface with each other. It begins with the film's characters awakening to begin their day and peaks with an area revolt after cops too much limit and kill a youthful dark man named Radio Raheem for battling a more seasoned Italian American eatery proprietor named Sal in his pizzeria, and afterward

Read More

Is Utilitarianism The More Ethical Choice?

265 Words | 2 Pages

If there was an inevasible choice and one choice saved more

Read More

Rm Hare What Is Wrong With Slavery Analysis

1805 Words | 8 Pages

M. Hare’s argument, it can be seen that there exists some issues with utilitarianism. Or, simply apply utilitarianism to this world, and use utilitarianism code to make every decision is wrong since the code of utilitarianism loss consistency in real world. According to utilitarianism, the best moral action is the one that maximizes utility, or happiness. However, happiness is complex. It is generally acknowledged that people who have their physical and emotional needs satisfied and their human rights guaranteed are happy.

Read More

Utilitarianism And Duty Ethics Summary

337 Words | 2 Pages

This article looks at the ethics of two US presidents. Utilitarianism seeks the the optimal happiness over unhappiness. Rockler argues that Utilitarianism failed to measure pleasure and pain across societies because it is subjective. Contemporary utilitarianism abandoned the measure of pain and pleasure. Rather, they see it as the consequences of action that must equal in higher benefits for society.

Read More

Utilitarianism Flaws

92 Words | 1 Pages

Exactly, you would want your child to be saved as well. That 's one of the major flaws I see in utilitarianism. The rule of utilitarianism is that the decision that brings the most happiness should be made. I 'm not saying the disabled child wouldn 't bring any happiness, I 'm saying in this case the neighbor 's four kids would bring more happiness to society rather than the disabled one. The act of utilitarianism is a cruel system, but if one wants to incorporate into society then they should incorporate it completely rather than

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of The Trolley Problem

2262 Words | 10 Pages

Trolley problem, initiated by Philippa Foot, is a situation in which there is a runaway trolley and the only way to save five people on the tracks is to sacrifice one person (Kvalnes, 2015). There are many versions of the trolley problem with regard to how the one should be sacrificed, make trade-offs in order for five persons to be saved. In this paper, there are two trolley case used to compare with the autonomous car case. The first case, called the switch case, come from Philippa Foot (1967), in which there is a third person who are standing next to a signal switch.

Read More

Ethical Issues In Utilitarianism

1010 Words | 5 Pages

A number of problems surround the second question; the most obvious of which are limited time, the limited capacity of human foresight to calculate the maximum number of happiness, and the inability of the theory to advise on the time frame utilitarianism is to be applied to; how do you know the maximum number of happiness for the next 10 years doesn’t mean greater overall unhappiness in the next 50 years, so what time period should one keep in mind when considering an issue from a utilitarian stand point, 1 year, 5 years, 10, 20? This lack of clarity further adds to the impractical nature of the ideology. There are a myriad number of situations which seem very difficult to resolve without employing utilitarian principles and a very good example is the widespread use of utilitarian principles in bioethics. The best example here would obviously be the famous case of the conjoined twins Mary and Jodie. The facts in front of the court indicated that Mary was the parasitic twin who shared a heart with Jodie.

Read More

Theories Of Utilitarianism, Kantianism, And Aristotelianism

1163 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout history many great philosophers have attempted to unravel the origins of virtues by developing moral theories of their own. This document is designed to provide the reader with an overview of some of the more popular theories concerning morals. Three of the most popular moral theories are… Utilitarianism, Kantianism, and Aristotelianism. Though Utilitarianism, Kantianism, and Aristotelianism differ in many ways, they also share similar fundamentals. Utilitarianism is a highly acclaimed theory that is morally based on consequentialism.

Read More

Utilitarianism In Brave New World

733 Words | 3 Pages

Brave new world - Essay I look at this from a utilitarian perspective were the moral thing is to do the most good for the most amount of people. The individual, while important in any sense, is only relevant in terms of the community as a whole. It is very similar to the question of individual versus collective happiness. The happiness of the most amount of people is better than letting the individual decide for oneself.

Read More

Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Trolley Experiment

2390 Words | 10 Pages

The utilitarian would say to pull the lever. As utilitarians believe, the morally right course of action is the one that maximizes utility; heightening benefit to its extent, and lowering suffering as low as possible. In the case of the trolley, the “right” thing to do would be to save the five workers, for the question becomes whether to lose five lives and save one, or save five lives and lose

Read More

Film Analysis: Extreme Measures

783 Words | 4 Pages

Doctor Myrick uses the principle of utility to defend his immoral actions during the film. The principle of utility is when a person makes a choice that is best for the most amount of people involved in the situation. He uses this tenet when talking to doctor Luthan about the ethical ideas involved in his experiment, because it will save millions despite killing the test subjects that are held beyond their will. In the movie we see signs of hedonism through doctor Myricks actions. His hedonistic views are seen as he tries to find pleasure in the horrible disease of paralysis.

Read More

Self-Preservation: The Importance Of Human Nature

817 Words | 4 Pages

William Murtagh, first keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, once said “at its best, preservation engages the past in a conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future.” Preservation has always been a part of human nature, deeply rooted in our tradition and moral code. There is a profuse amount of ways in which society preserves, some are for selfish reasons but others help us move forward and learn from our past. As the great human race, it can be said that preservation has been our main reason for being the most successful species on the planet. Sigmond Freud was an Austrian neurologist who stated that one of the “deepest essences of human nature” is that of self-preservation.

Read More

More about A Utilitarian Response

Related Topics

Open Document