Act Utilitarianism was created off of Bentham’s Unity principle, which considers the right action being the one which produces the “greatest possible happiness, for the greatest number possible”. (Manias 129). This principle was created with the background of hedonic calculus in mind as Bentham perceived “all pleasures and pains of human beings to be compared on a mathematical scale with a uniform measurement”, Manias states. (130). The moral decision to be made is deliberated by applying the results from Bentham’s scale and utilizing them in a 5-step sequential process, which has been modified for this applied ethics class. The steps for this theory include: identifying the ethical decision to be made, listing all possible optional actions,
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(Manias 151). Unlike other ethical theories, specifically action-centered ones, which just focus on a “snapshot” of a certain action one may perform and analyze if it is right or wrong, this theory is considered an agent-centered theory; it claims that if one is an overall good person, all the “snapshots” in one’s life will ultimately be “right” (meaning that one will do good), which is without a doubt the whole goal of this theory, Manias states. (153). Manias then goes on to say that there are many different kinds of virtues that one should attain; however, they should always be “perfectly balanced points of moderation between opposing, undesirable extremes”, this concept is defined as the Golden Mean. (158-159). The steps for this theory include: determining the virtues called for by the situation, evaluating the options by balancing various virtues on the Golden Mean continuum, and lastly choosing the wisest course of action- consistent with the virtues and the Golden Mean. (Manias …show more content…
1. The virtues called for by the situation are compassion (with the extreme deficiency being judgement, and the extreme excess being sympathy), commitment (with the extreme deficiency being neglect, and the extreme excess being perseverance), and confidence (with the extreme deficiency being uncertainty, and the extreme excess being assertiveness).
2. After evaluating all the options for the situation, which are either to have the right to allow the procedure, to not have the right to allow the procedure, or lastly to have the patients first undergo extensive psychological testing and be put on a wait list for up to one year (to see if anything changes and this is truly what they want), there is only one option which is consistent with both the virtues and the Golden Mean. 3. The wisest course of action, consistent with both the virtues and the Golden mean, would be to choose to allow Dr. Kevorkian to have the right to allow the procedure to end one’s life if requested. This is the wisest course of action because you are being compassionate towards the patient’s feelings- the most important person involved, you are showing commitment by conforming to their wishes and given rights- regardless of outsiders opinions, and you are showing confidence in making the right decision by obliging to the most important person’s wishes- the
(Manias 151). Unlike other ethical theories, specifically action-centered ones, which just focus on a “snapshot” of a certain action one may perform and analyze if it is right or wrong, this theory is considered an agent-centered theory; it claims that if one is an overall good person, all the “snapshots” in one’s life will ultimately be “right” (meaning that one will do good), which is without a doubt the whole goal of this theory, Manias states. (153). Manias then goes on to say that there are many different kinds of virtues that one should attain; however, they should always be “perfectly balanced points of moderation between opposing, undesirable extremes”, this concept is defined as the Golden Mean. (158-159). The steps for this theory include: determining the virtues called for by the situation, evaluating the options by balancing various virtues on the Golden Mean continuum, and lastly choosing the wisest course of action- consistent with the virtues and the Golden Mean. (Manias …show more content…
1. The virtues called for by the situation are compassion (with the extreme deficiency being judgement, and the extreme excess being sympathy), commitment (with the extreme deficiency being neglect, and the extreme excess being perseverance), and confidence (with the extreme deficiency being uncertainty, and the extreme excess being assertiveness).
2. After evaluating all the options for the situation, which are either to have the right to allow the procedure, to not have the right to allow the procedure, or lastly to have the patients first undergo extensive psychological testing and be put on a wait list for up to one year (to see if anything changes and this is truly what they want), there is only one option which is consistent with both the virtues and the Golden Mean. 3. The wisest course of action, consistent with both the virtues and the Golden mean, would be to choose to allow Dr. Kevorkian to have the right to allow the procedure to end one’s life if requested. This is the wisest course of action because you are being compassionate towards the patient’s feelings- the most important person involved, you are showing commitment by conforming to their wishes and given rights- regardless of outsiders opinions, and you are showing confidence in making the right decision by obliging to the most important person’s wishes- the