Introduction:
"Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness" (Mill, 1863).
Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that happiness is the only thing that truly matters, or has intrinsic value to humanity. Importantly, its supporters believe that everyone's happiness matters equally, regardless of social status, wealth, or other superficial values, and in fact, people should always act to maximize overall happiness, or utility, for everyone (Gaskill, 2005). Furthermore, utilitarianism falls under the category of consequentialism, as a decision must always depend on its consequences to determine whether it was right or wrong. Indeed, it is only right if it brings about the …show more content…
"The basic question of utilitarianism is qualitative: how much happiness and sadness is there?" (Brusseau, 2012).
Monetized utilitarianism, however, finds a quantitative way to actually measure happiness by adding up the cash value of each possible action, then choosing the one that is expected to yield the greatest amount.
a) The Lottery is Unethical:
" What the data does tell us is that state lotteries generate vast revenues, most of which don’t head back to the states" (Chalabi, 2014).
First, since monetized utilitarianism examines the financial bottom line, we must consider the amount of money players spend on the lottery as a financial loss, which translates to decreased happiness. Conversely, the amount of money paid to all winners, along with the funds paid out to improve communities, would be totalled to determine the financial gain, which to a monetized utilitarian, is a direct measurement of an overall increase in …show more content…
We cannot even be certain where lottery earnings go that are not given to winners, but we know that winners are the only players that gain financially from buying tickets. Indeed, the above "data says no more about how these 43 states spent the $19.4 billion they collected in lottery revenue than it tells us about the way that players spent the $37 billion they collected in prizes" (Chalabi, 2014).
According to monetized utilitarianism, therefore, the financial loss (sadness) of players is significantly greater than their financial gain (happiness), even if some of the state's share is put back into the local economy. As a result, monetized utilitarianism would likely consider the lottery to be unethical. That is, it is not sensible financially, since the odds are appallingly against the player, which in monetized utilitarianism equates to a loss in overall happiness. Knowing this, keeping our money instead of buying lottery tickets is the ethical course of action. "Fox News advice on how to win the lottery"
(Media Matters,
"Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness" (Mill, 1863).
Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that happiness is the only thing that truly matters, or has intrinsic value to humanity. Importantly, its supporters believe that everyone's happiness matters equally, regardless of social status, wealth, or other superficial values, and in fact, people should always act to maximize overall happiness, or utility, for everyone (Gaskill, 2005). Furthermore, utilitarianism falls under the category of consequentialism, as a decision must always depend on its consequences to determine whether it was right or wrong. Indeed, it is only right if it brings about the …show more content…
"The basic question of utilitarianism is qualitative: how much happiness and sadness is there?" (Brusseau, 2012).
Monetized utilitarianism, however, finds a quantitative way to actually measure happiness by adding up the cash value of each possible action, then choosing the one that is expected to yield the greatest amount.
a) The Lottery is Unethical:
" What the data does tell us is that state lotteries generate vast revenues, most of which don’t head back to the states" (Chalabi, 2014).
First, since monetized utilitarianism examines the financial bottom line, we must consider the amount of money players spend on the lottery as a financial loss, which translates to decreased happiness. Conversely, the amount of money paid to all winners, along with the funds paid out to improve communities, would be totalled to determine the financial gain, which to a monetized utilitarian, is a direct measurement of an overall increase in …show more content…
We cannot even be certain where lottery earnings go that are not given to winners, but we know that winners are the only players that gain financially from buying tickets. Indeed, the above "data says no more about how these 43 states spent the $19.4 billion they collected in lottery revenue than it tells us about the way that players spent the $37 billion they collected in prizes" (Chalabi, 2014).
According to monetized utilitarianism, therefore, the financial loss (sadness) of players is significantly greater than their financial gain (happiness), even if some of the state's share is put back into the local economy. As a result, monetized utilitarianism would likely consider the lottery to be unethical. That is, it is not sensible financially, since the odds are appallingly against the player, which in monetized utilitarianism equates to a loss in overall happiness. Knowing this, keeping our money instead of buying lottery tickets is the ethical course of action. "Fox News advice on how to win the lottery"
(Media Matters,