Com Ethics

Cheating Scandal

“Cheating is a dress rehearsal for life”, one student said that ABC News Primetime was interviewing for a story called, ‘A Cheating Crisis in America’s Schools’. They found in a 2002 confidential survey that out of 12,000 high school students, 74 percent admitted to cheating on an exam at least once during their academic experience. Those numbers show no signs of stopping anytime soon; and it’s not just high school students cheating, college students, even those privileged enough to attend ivy leagues, are also getting their hands dirty. In 2012 Harvard had its biggest cheating scandal on record, approximately 125 students were accused of cheating on a take-home final exam. If utilitarianism focuses on the amount of good actions create for the greatest number of people; then it could be argued that the 125 Harvard students had utility in cheating. However the cheating scandal at Harvard was an unsuccessful attempt of utilitarianism; their goal was to have the class pass the exam, but they failed to fulfill the three key aspects of utilitarianism.
Jeremy Bentham, the founder of modern utilitarianism, had a mission to create a complete utilitarian code of law. His mantra was simple, “It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong”; also known as the greatest happiness principle or utility principle, ‘Utilitarianism and Other Essays’. Bentham developed his theory around the idea of pleasure. He considered a moral act to bring the greatest amount of pleasure and least amount of pain. However he calculated pleasure on a quantitative scale. On the other hand John Stuart Mill, a student of Bentham, revised and expanded Bentham’s theory of utilitarianism. Mill calculated pleasure on a more qualitative scale; he believed that some pleasures have a higher quality than others. He focused his version of utility as an ethical good stating, “Utilitarianism is the pleasure of doing what is just, right, or beautiful so that as many people as possible are happy” (Tompkins pg 127). Either way both agree on the foundation utilitarianism is based upon, creating the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people. Keep in mind utilitarianism focuses on actions, instead of character and intentions.
Along with Bentham’s theory and Mill’s theory on utilitarianism, there are also three key aspects to utilitarianism- thinking about consequences, impartiality, and thinking about the welfare of others. The first aspect asks for people to think about their consequences on others; whether their communication makes a positive difference or a negative difference in the world. Thinking about consequences, whether intended or unintended, forces people to understand that communication matters. Second aspect is about impartiality, more specifically thinking about consequences of an action with impartiality. According to Chappel and Crisp, “Utilitarian impartiality is different from being uninvolved or detached; it is extending the concern you have for yourself toward others” (Tompkins pg 127). Utilitarian impartially asks for people to put aside their individual self-interest, because no individual’s interest is more important than anyone else’s. The point is to put the good and happiness of the collective group before one’s own. There is a lot of open-mindedness, and a point to be objective. Finally the last aspect of utilitarianism is thinking about the welfare of others. This is due to Mill’s idea of utility as an ethical good, because pleasure is not always ethically good. The good should be just or right; and its important to spread the good to as many people as possible.