Consequentialism: The Elemental Idea Of Utilitarianism

The elemental idea of Utilitarianism is that actions are morally right only if and because they produce the greatest good. The greatest good in this case pertains to taking in all the effects of the action, be they long or immediate, and taking in to account everyone that will be affected. The net effect of the action is then formulated by subtracting the sum of bad effects from the good. Furthermore, Utilitarianism is a doctrine that all actions should be judged in terms of their utility in promoting the greatest good for the greatest number.
The general principle of Utilitarianism is elemental is composition. One of most importance is consequentialism. Consequentialism is the theory that the rightness of an action is always a function solely of its consequences. Utilitarian consequentialists in turn define right acts as whatever will produce the outcome with the greatest net balance of value over disvalue. Utilitarians, in short, want people to act on the principle that increases net benefits. The default stance for Utilitarianism is of course that we are just as responsible and culpable for what we let happen as for what we do ourselves. More specifically, allowing someone to die because you failed to save them is just as bad as killing them, and not saving two or more persons is worse. Therefore, it follows that not killing somebody if that is …show more content…
But this must be done at the risk of destroying his values. If Jim walks away he maintains and upholds his morals, and he has not committed any moral breach. However, if he kills one of the prisoners, he has acted immorally. Ultimately, Jim’s refusal to kill one person to save the others is a result of his obligation to categorical imperatives. Jim’s maxim in this situation is that it is not okay to kill. Thus, Jim the deontologist would be morally obligated to walk away from the