Why Is Utilitarianism Morally Wrong

It is generally easy to see what is right and wrong. An action that is good for people and is not harmful is always a moral action. But situations are not always completely black and white. At times there comes a situation where the thing that is most right cannot be accomplished without doing something wrong. The utilitarian belief is that in these situations, the ends justify the means. If one person has to die in order to save more lives, than the action is moral. Utilitarianism is doing the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people. In theory it sounds good. But the question lies in whether that foul action committed to achieve the good can be considered moral because the outcome was good.
There are many situations in …show more content…
If sacrificing one person means the safety of the greater amount of people, it is justifiable. But utilitarianism is only a tool, and cannot be the only tool used. Utilitarianism is great to use in the cut and dry cases, but in situations where one 's conscience comes into question, it is not so easy to decide. This goes along with the integrity objection. If killing one person in cold blood will save 50 others, it may seem like the best option. But can a person withstand that on their conscience. They would need to sacrifice their integrity and label themselves as a murderer in order for the good to be done. Likewise in the justice objection, can it be considered right to frame someone for murder if it will prevent a riot that would save other lives. These are some of the objections listed in Ethics in the Military Profession, which lay the case that Utilitarianism is not always …show more content…
The problem with this scenario is that it is too subjective. Where does one draw the line in justifying this extreme situation? Is it okay to torture if it could save a single other life? It is impossible to say for sure when something becomes acceptable, so it is not fair to make a rule where exceptions can be made. Another problem with torture is that it is not always effective. By torturing a terrorist to save a city, you may not receive the information necessary to save the city. Was it morally justified to maim a person for ultimately no results? The article The Ticking Bomb Dilemma discusses that while most people will agree that torture is the right decision in a certain situation, it is based on a lot of uncertainties. A person being tortured may not provide the information necessary for a variety of reasons, whether it be choosing to be a martyr or not having the information in the first