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What Is Amia Srinivasan Utilitarianism

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Utilitarianism as an Unrealistic Utopia As an optimistic individual the concept of utilitarianism is one I support, however, I am not naive enough to believe it is a realistic possibility. The biggest criticism of utilitarianism is that it is very demanding of people, which is undoubtedly true as even the saintliest of us mortal beings cannot please the philosophy. Amia Srinivasan’s belief that utilitarianism asks of “the wrong things [...] that constitute us as humans” (Srinivasan 8) is a logical and sound objection, as often times, we humans tend to be unpredictable and selfish in our wants and needs. This is not to say that we do not all on some level wish for the ultimate happiness of everyone, but it does suggest that happiness for all is not a realistic possibility, as we do not live in a utopic world with perfect people. The whole point of utilitarianism is that our actions are meant to benefit the whole in a positive way; ideally in respect to happiness and quality of life. Srinivasan’s objection is representative of a flaw in the philosophy as it calls utilitarians out for their utopic ideas that have no accommodations for “personal attachments, loyalties and identifications” (Srinivasan 8) …show more content…

The fact that none of these are considered as factors that can influence one’s ability to conform to utilitarianism reveals a weakness in the logic and makes it impossible for any individual to obey and

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