Research Paper On John Mill Act Utilitarianism

Mill Essay

In recent times, there has been a large controversy as to whether it is morally right for doctors to assist in killing a patient that requests death because of illness. This is an extremely touchy subject, with many different variables and opinions to be found. For this essay, we are given a man named Joe has been diagnosed with aids, and will ultimately die. Joe requests to take a lethal dose of medication to end his life, for he knows that the worst suffering is yet to come, and surviving is inevitable. His family however objects and disapproves his requests. We are asked to determine what Mill would advise the doctor to do. In order to solve this problem, we must look at what utilitarianism is, difference between rule and act

Mill says that an action is morally right if the action leads to promote the general happiness of the person or community. Mill believes that Unitarianism is not solely based on pleasures alone but rather also the refrain from pain. There are two types of Utilitarianism, Act and Rule Utilitarianism. The first of the two, Act Utilitarianism, is the belief that actions are morally right when the whole community is pleased and the greatest amount of good is produce. Rule Utilitarianism is the belief that moral correctness of the action reflexes on the correctness of the rules that are placed to achieve the greatest

He would likely ask “How do you think this is going to affect your family, and are you concerned with their happiness and their pains?” This is an extremely important aspect to the topic, for Mill tells us that the happiness of the community is more important than the happiness of strictly one’s self. Many would argue that Joe’s decision is selfish, but we need to look into Joe’s will to determine this, and also if the family is the one being selfish. If Joe’s decision is to look out for his family more than himself, this would be looked at as utilitarianism and Mill would approve. Joe could be looking out for his family because he knows he is going to ultimately die, and doesn’t want his family to “waste” money on his treatments and hospital bill, and also doesn’t want his family’s last memories of him to be as a different person because of his illness. If this was Joe’s intention, he would infact be looking out for the happiness of the community, and would be showing utility. Mill also says that “ No system of ethics requires the sole motive of all we do shall be a feeling of duty”, and this is evident in this discussion. Joe’s decision should not only be based on the happiness of his friends but also his, as well as his right to resist