Exploration #3
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University of Texas, Dallas *
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Philosophy
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Apr 3, 2024
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Uploaded by ProfessorWaterDugong16
PHIL 2306.029
Professor Von Barandy
November 7, 2022
Utilitarianism is a philosophical viewpoint or concept that describes how humans should examine various issues, including decisions that individuals must make. Actions, laws, regulations, personal qualities, and moral standards are all things that may be assessed. Utilitarianism is a kind of consequentialism because it holds that the repercussions or outcomes of acts, laws, policies, and so on decide whether they are positive or negative, correct or incorrect
(
Wolff 126). Generally, whatever is being reviewed should be chosen to generate the best overall
outcomes. In utilitarian terms, one should select the choice that "maximizes utility," i.e., the activity or plan that creates the greatest amount of good.
Is it permissible to breach promises to maximize happiness? Utilitarian theory, as a philosophy, also disregards the person. It is collective, yet there are times when people and personal interests should be prioritized (
Wolff 126). Furthermore, do utilitarians justify murdering if the individual's existence was miserable and painful, and the individual was becoming a burden on their relatives?
Whereas the "rule worship" issue presumes that rule utilitarianism is distinct from act utilitarianism, Wolff disagrees. According to them, whatever flaws act utilitarianism has, rule utilitarianism would have as well. Based on this argument, while
rule utilitarianism appears to be distinct from act utilitarianism, a close analysis reveals that it either collapses into or is extensionally similar to act utilitarianism (
Wolff 154). To appreciate this critique, it is necessary to distinguish rule utilitarianism from other non-utilitarian ideas. Considering Kant's thesis that lying is always ethically evil, even if it saves someone's life. Many
individuals regard this viewpoint as overly inflexible, claiming that it does not consider the circumstances surrounding telling a lie.
On the other hand, utilitarianism, I believe that the most appropriate alternative provides the most advantage to the largest number of individuals. As a result, it is the only ethical paradigm under which armed forces or war can be rationalized. I also believe that everyone's happiness is vital. As implemented in a sociopolitical framework, the utilitarian approach strives to improve society (Scarre 122). Utilitarianism is a reasonable way of figuring out what is right and wrong. Companies, for example, must endeavor to keep their promises and prioritize ethics over profits. Customers desire to conduct business with firms they can trust, and employees increase performance when an ethical system is in effect. Individually, if people make ethically good judgments at work, everybody's satisfaction will increase.
Work Cited
Jonathan Wolff.
An Introduction to Moral Philosophy
. W. W. Norton & Company,
2017.
Scarre, Geoffrey.
Utilitarianism
. Routledge, 2020.
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