Mill Utilitarianism

According to Vaughn (2017), “the principle of utility says that we should produce the most favorable balance of good over bad (or benefit over harm) for all concerned” (p.11). Utility is the underlying principle of utilitarianism, curated by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill in the 18th and 19th centuries. Bentham defines utility in terms of the quantity of pleasure versus pain produced, whereas Mill believes that pleasure is more qualitative, suggesting that it ranges on a scale of pleasure. Under Bentham’s definition, an ethical action is one that increases the overall happiness of the whole community. Thus, if the community prospers, then each individual prospers. On the other hand, an unethical action is one that causes pain and

One example of a moral argument is the debate surrounding human cloning. Over the years, there has been a great deal of research using a technique called nuclear transfer to create genetically identical organisms. This technique “involves the transfer of the nucleus from a donor cell into an oocyte or early embryo from which the chromosomes have been removed” (Wilmut, Bai, and Taylor, 2015, p.1). One of the greatest contributions to this research was Dolly, a sheep cloned from an adult ewe that opened new doors in

In a recent article by Wilmut et. al. (2015), they explain that while there have been instances of success in this procedure, such as Dolly the sheep, the nuclear transfer cloning procedure often results in death of the organism. The researchers stated, “It remains an inefficient procedure with only a small proportion of reconstructed embryos developing to term and a greater than normal post-natal loss” (p.6). This provides evidence of support for premise two, which is an example of a non-moral statement, a standard feature of a moral argument. Non-moral statements are used to show how an action either supports or goes against a general principle. In this case, cloning causes more harm than good so it is morally wrong (Vaughn,