Atomic Bomb Pros And Cons

The United States decision to drop the two atomic bombs on Japan is a scenario that encapsulates both the pros and cons of the ethical theory of Utilitarianism. The ethical theory is often used to defend the decision to drop the bombs, but the aftermath raises a lot of questions over the morality of the decision. Although the four principles of utilitarianism are covered in this decision to destroy two cities, it fails to consider other points of views and human right elements. Although the decision wrapped up the conclusion of the second world war, today we are seeing the effects of such an important ethical decision. Utilitarianism can be summarized as making the best decision for the largest amount of people causing the greatest amount

Jeremy Bentham is the original founder of Utilitarianism and he combines important elements of Utilitarianism into four basic principles. The principles of Utility, Hedonism, Consequentialism and the Social Principle. These four principles are the foundations of what we should base our decisions on, and if the decision meets each principle, the action is moral and ethical. John Stuart Mill is another influential figure in Utilitarianism. John Stuart Mill took Bentham’s ideas to a further scientific level and helped establish Utilitarianism as a well-recognized ethical theory. The first principle of Utilitarianism is Utility. In John Stuart Mill’s text discussing his theory on Utilitarianism, he defines Utility as pleasure itself. “Every writer, from Epicurus to Bentham, who maintained the theory of utility, meant by it, not something to be contradistinguished from pleasure, but pleasure itself, together with the exemption from pain” (John Stuart Mill, 997). Another name for the theory of Utility is the Greatest Happiness Principle, which

Hedonism refers to the search of pleasure. Like many philosophers before Bentham and Mill, Utilitarianism focuses on different kinds of pleasures. Mill often refers to the Epicurean way of life when discussing pleasures. Epicureanism focuses solely on the acquisition of pleasure and does not crave or strive for anything else. “The comparison of Epicurean life to that of beasts is felt as degrading precisely because a beast’s pleasures do not satisfy a human being’s conceptions of happiness.” (John Stuart Mill, 998). Humans possess higher faculties than animals, mainly consciousness, that disallow for simple gratification. Intellect plays an important role in pleasure. Intellect allows us to have morals, imagine and feel which lead to much higher value pleasures than our natural needs. In order to practice Utilitarianism, one must subordinate bodily pleasures under mental pleasures. This self-discipline is necessary in obtaining these higher valued pleasures. Over indulgence of these pleasures leads to complacency and a loss of interest in pursuing greater valued pleasures. A common phrase used in philosophy to describe this subordination is “better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied”. In order to avoid complacency and the consumption of bodily pleasures, we as individuals are responsible for maintaining our higher faculties and putting them to use as much as we can. Mill states that if