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From the perspective of utilitarianism, what should be the action of the old man? Explain.

From the perspective of utilitarianism, what should be the action of the old man? Explain.

Social Psychology (10th Edition)
Social Psychology (10th Edition)
10th Edition
ISBN:9780134641287
Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Publisher:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Chapter1: Introducing Social Psychology
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1RQ1
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From the perspective of utilitarianism, what should be the action of the old man? Explain.

Case Study (4): The parable of the Burning House In ancient India, there was a very rich man. Despite his senility, he was wealthy and owned a lot of farmland, numerous houses and countless servants. Although the man was advanced in years, he had three sons who were three, four and five years old respectively. Because of his wealth, he was worried of bandits coming to rob his family, so the house they lived in was enclosed by high and thick walls built with bricks, with only one gate for entrance and exit. The house was his ancestral home and had been built for almost a hundred years, therefore even though the elder was wealthy, the walls and the beam- pillars of the house were old and worn out. The mansion could easily collapse if a storm or a big fire struck. One day, the house caught fire. The elder and his servants managed to leave the place in time. Then, he suddenly remembered his three sons, who were still playing in the garden, too young to comprehend the danger. They also did not know how to escape. Yet, neither he nor his servants dare to go back into the house. So he shouted to his sons to leave at the gate, but they ignored him. At that time, the man was very anxious and yelled to them the danger of the big fire, but his sons still pay no attention to his warning. All of a sudden, a good idea came up to the old man. He recalled that each time he came home from business trips with some presents, he used to cry loudly, “I am back! I have some gifts for my lovely boys." No matter what his sons were doing at that moment, they would run to him quickly for the gifts. So at the critical moment, the old man cried out, “I am back! I have some precious gifts for my lovely boys. I bought a goat cart, deer cart, and ox-cart to take my boys out to play." When the children heard their father, they ran out of the house to their father for gifts. Seeing that the boys were safe, the old man was relieved. The story is adapted from <The Lotus Sutra, The Parable of the Burning House >
Transcribed Image Text:Case Study (4): The parable of the Burning House In ancient India, there was a very rich man. Despite his senility, he was wealthy and owned a lot of farmland, numerous houses and countless servants. Although the man was advanced in years, he had three sons who were three, four and five years old respectively. Because of his wealth, he was worried of bandits coming to rob his family, so the house they lived in was enclosed by high and thick walls built with bricks, with only one gate for entrance and exit. The house was his ancestral home and had been built for almost a hundred years, therefore even though the elder was wealthy, the walls and the beam- pillars of the house were old and worn out. The mansion could easily collapse if a storm or a big fire struck. One day, the house caught fire. The elder and his servants managed to leave the place in time. Then, he suddenly remembered his three sons, who were still playing in the garden, too young to comprehend the danger. They also did not know how to escape. Yet, neither he nor his servants dare to go back into the house. So he shouted to his sons to leave at the gate, but they ignored him. At that time, the man was very anxious and yelled to them the danger of the big fire, but his sons still pay no attention to his warning. All of a sudden, a good idea came up to the old man. He recalled that each time he came home from business trips with some presents, he used to cry loudly, “I am back! I have some gifts for my lovely boys." No matter what his sons were doing at that moment, they would run to him quickly for the gifts. So at the critical moment, the old man cried out, “I am back! I have some precious gifts for my lovely boys. I bought a goat cart, deer cart, and ox-cart to take my boys out to play." When the children heard their father, they ran out of the house to their father for gifts. Seeing that the boys were safe, the old man was relieved. The story is adapted from <The Lotus Sutra, The Parable of the Burning House >
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