Pros And Cons Of Utilitarianism

The Flaws of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism can be traced back to late 18th century to the 19th century (utilitarianism). Hedonist philosopher Jeremy Bentham introduced the principle of utility or also called the principle of pleasure. The principle of pleasure acts a method to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest amount of people (Soccio 350). This passage states that an individual ought to decide the most favorable pleasure for the majority of people. As utilitarian philosopher John Stuart Mills said “The Greatest-Happiness Principle holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.” Happiness in the utilitarian system is described to be solely what every individual pursues, done otherwise would be seen as morally wrong.
The principle affirms that by seeking happiness we must generate a balance of pleasure over the discomfort of everyone involved. For instance, in the healthcare business many times they encounter utilitarian decisions. The hospital must decide if they ought to buy a new machine to treat cancer patients at a faster pace or fund a program for pregnant women to provide them with specific …show more content…
For example, if a rapist derives pleasure by molesting children, although it is seen as unmoral, why do Utilitarians believe that the greatest pleasure is considered morally right? From my perspective, pleasure is bad even if we are cautious and take responsibility of our actions the results will be satisfying without risking the happiness of others. Whereas, occasionally that is not the case, individuals are derived from common human characteristics like pride and selfishness, which may cause the emotional or physical pain of