Assignment 6 Utilitarianism
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School
St. Thomas University *
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Course
2010
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
1
Uploaded by JudgeKoala1454
PHI 2010
Name: Monalisa Obiagwu
Typing your name here is required to earn full credit.
A dentist has asked his assistant to perform a cleaning on a patient. The assistant has observed
many cleanings and she’s confident she can do a good job. But the assistant is not licensed to carry
out a cleaning and she points this out to her boss. The dentist offers her $30 cash on the side and the
assistant accepts the arrangement. The assistant performs the cleaning, and the procedure goes
smoothly. The patient has no idea what’s happened and is satisfied with the office visit. Fully explain
and apply
utilitarianism
to this particular situation. Was it OK for the dentist and assistant to treat the
patient this way? Describe how
utilitarianism
works in general and address factors that would be
important according to this view.
Do
you
think the dentist and assistant behaved morally? Justify your
own view.
Write 2-3 paragraphs.
Begin typing your answer below.
The major goal of utilitarianism is happiness. In other words, good intentions lead to good
outcomes. According to utilitarianism, the actions of the dental assistant and the dentist were perfectly
normal because the actions taken had repercussions and resulted in good benefits for both parties.
The patient left satisfied with the results of the cleaning, and the assistant received extra money and
was able to perform a cleaning on a patient. However, this is not okay.
The dentist allowed his assistant to secretly perform a cleaning on a patient. This is morally
wrong because the assistant is unlicensed and legally unable to perform that procedure. Although the
procedure was successful, what if it was not? If the procedure had not gone smoothly, the dentist and
assistant would face legal consequences that would question their actions. The utilitarian would agree
that this is not moral, seeing as though the action of utilitarianism is to maximize the happiness and
well-being of all affected individuals. I honestly believe the assistant and dentist got lucky, but such
actions should never be taken.
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