Consequentialism

overall happiness. In this paper, I will argue that this objection threatens the success of the utilitarian justification for the state because our moral intuitions play a bigger role in our decisions than we think. Utilitarianism, a form of consequentialism developed in detail by English philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, holds that the most correct way for us to live is the way that brings about most happiness or pleasure. In his work, Utilitarianism, Mill writes, "actions are…

an individual in regard to their actions being beneficial to a majority. The principle question the doctrine seeks to answer is, “What ought a man to do?”, with the outcome being his actions provide the best results possible. As a branch of consequentialism (which, on a wider scale, focuses on an action’s outcome being determined by its consequences), utilitarianism is focused on a measure of pains and pleasures which maximize net utility for all people conclusively affected. While there are…

consequences or results of behaviour. Morality of an action is based on the outcomes or consequences of the action. According to this theory a morally right action is the action that will produce a good outcome. One of the most used examples of consequentialism is if one breaks a promise. Breaking the promise is neither good nor bad; it solely is dependent on the outcome of this action. Volkswagen decided and installed software termed as “defeat device” in 11 million Volkswagen and Audi diesel…

Within the past decade, an average of fifty-five percent of terminally ill patients died in pain (Seth). Thousands and thousands of people are diagnosed with cancer or other diseases that can put them in a difficult situation if death comes into play. Constant debate of Physician-Assisted Suicide and/or Euthanasia has caused a spark within the medical industry, causing more hospitals and medical facilities to accommodate special request from terminally ill patients. Within the majority of…

right to life as well as the right to liberty and security of the person. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 , stresses the importance of protecting the child against any imminent danger. Utilitarianism is another form of consequentialism whose premise we can see is that ‘moral rightness is defined in terms of the production of maximum happiness.’ (Meyerson, 2011) and Bentham was categorically in defiance of a person possessing such rights – if they did they were perceived as…

how people determine good and bad behavior include; utilitarianism and deontology. Utilitarianism is based on the belief that a person’s actions should ensure the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. It is considered a form of consequentialism; the judgement of an action is based on the consequences of that action. An action that results in positive consequences will be viewed as positive, moral, and ethical. An action that results in negative consequences will be views as…

An ethical dilemma is a situation in which two or more courses of action are presented to a person who acts as an agent of change. In order to be categorized as an ethical dilemma, a choice is made between unappealing and equal courses of action (McCarthy 7). Consider the following scenario: a person on a dock with two individuals drowning in front of him/her. There are numerous ways a person may react in the above scenario. They may jump into the water and attempt a rescue of one or both of…

Let us begin by formally defining act utilitarianism: a theory of right action that defines the act to be “right if and only if, and because, its consequences contain at least as large a net balance of wellbeing minus ill-being as those of any alternative possible act in that situation” (Frick, Lecture 1 Slides). And thus, an act utilitarian, when making decisions regarding human life, looks solely at the net difference in wellbeing and ill-being. I would like to call attention to the…

legal soundness. 51.Consider the following statement: “Sure, we might benefit from expanding Highway 99. But seizing a person’s property against his or her wishes is just wrong, period.” This is an example of which ethical perspective? a. Consequentialism b. x Duty ethics/deontology c. Virtue ethics d. Moral…

1. If the owner of an apartment complex that caters to KU students offered to make a $10,000 dollar contribution to the Lawrence suicide hotline, if I reduced the number of parking places and benefit the KU bus line the effects could range from very small to very large. If I give into the owner of the apartment complex the suicide hotline has more money and could save more lives. However the students would loose their parking spaces and the apartment complex would become more appealing to them…