Utilitarianism is a branch of metaethics that focuses on the ideas of consequences, self interest, and unbiasedness. Instead of determining if an action is moral through the immediate effects, Utilitarianism skimps over the short term and instead focuses on the long term effects of actions. Actions are no longer based on intention but, rather the overall effects from those actions determines if the parent event was morally good or bad. Utilitarianism also emphasizes the idea that an individual’s well being trumps all moral responsibilities, if a person has to steal food to eat then by utilitarianist standards this person is being morally correct despite his obvious theft. This is advantage to the ideology as it allows for a greater sense of
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However, Utilitarianism fails to evade the biased nature of humankind. If decisions are supposed to be made in regards to the well being of society, then how can one expect an individual to consistently make such decisions? If pitted with a decision to give his/her life for the greater good of society, it can assumed that the individual will have biasedness for his well being over the welfare of his/her community and forgo the sacrifice. Themes of Utilitarianism can be observed in Euripides’s play Heracles. To begin, I will analysis the death of the Heracles’s children by his own hand, the resulting consequences, reactions by the surviving characters, and how these correlate to Utilitarianist views. The death of his family is undoubtedly immoral in an Utilitarianist view as Hercales nor the relative society gained any utility from his actions, in fact it was only detrimental as the society now has less hands to contribute to the greater good. Once Heracles comes to after his unconcious slaughter of his family, he plans to take his own life for his malevolent transgressions. However, Theseus, a friend and fellow hero stops Heracles. Theseus does this by appealing towards the value of his life, “Greece would not endure your dying through ignorance” (Hera. 1254), he is trying to outline the utility Heracles as an
However, Utilitarianism fails to evade the biased nature of humankind. If decisions are supposed to be made in regards to the well being of society, then how can one expect an individual to consistently make such decisions? If pitted with a decision to give his/her life for the greater good of society, it can assumed that the individual will have biasedness for his well being over the welfare of his/her community and forgo the sacrifice. Themes of Utilitarianism can be observed in Euripides’s play Heracles. To begin, I will analysis the death of the Heracles’s children by his own hand, the resulting consequences, reactions by the surviving characters, and how these correlate to Utilitarianist views. The death of his family is undoubtedly immoral in an Utilitarianist view as Hercales nor the relative society gained any utility from his actions, in fact it was only detrimental as the society now has less hands to contribute to the greater good. Once Heracles comes to after his unconcious slaughter of his family, he plans to take his own life for his malevolent transgressions. However, Theseus, a friend and fellow hero stops Heracles. Theseus does this by appealing towards the value of his life, “Greece would not endure your dying through ignorance” (Hera. 1254), he is trying to outline the utility Heracles as an