Example Of Utilitarianism

In one’s daily life, one will always encounter obstacles and have to make decisions. Many times, these decisions are made with the individuals own guidelines and morals. However, there are many different perspectives for a person to have and follow by; one of which is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the ethnical theory that holds that actions are morally good in so far as they promote utility. The principle of utility goals is to produce the greatest amount of happiness and good for the greatest number of people. (Restrepo). In order to guarantee an outcome to have the most maximized wellbeing and pleasure, there is criteria to follow. These are; intensity, duration, nearness, purity and extent. By using this criteria, I set forth a day where
I would live a lifestyle based solely on the utilitarianism perspective and see where my decisions led me to.
In the morning of my utilitarian perspective day, I’ve already encountered my first dilemma; My mother asked to use my car.
Although I preferably like to drive to school, my mother needed the car to take my grandma to the adult daycare center since there was a mishap of the usual transportation. This request was very short notice and I already had some of my notebooks in the car. I quickly evaluated my situation and used the criteria to see what would be the most beneficial. As a result of my utilitarian perspective, I lent my mom my car and I decided to carpool with someone else to get to campus. This was the best course of action in order to maximize pleasure for all parties involved. The intensity was immense because I felt better about saving the environment and reducing my carbon foot print by carpooling. I also had pleasure from having a nice car ride and getting to know my friend better. Furthermore, my grandma would have an intense pleasure of a comfortable car ride and my mother would have the pleasure knowing my grandma is in safe hands. These results also correlate to the purity of the situation. My grandma was able to experience more pleasure since she would be able to enjoy amusing activities in the center, and I had the company of my friend for the car pool. For extent, more people would be affected positivity by my decision. My grandma would be able to make it to the center and enjoy bingo. In addition, my mother would not have to worry about transportation and would be able to have a piece of mind. Meanwhile, I will still get a ride to campus and not be late for
class.
Later that evening, my friend asked me if I was attending the study session for anatomy and physiology lab. At first, I wanted to say no since the study session would be 8:00 am and I wanted to sleep in. However, I realized this would not be a utilitarian decision to make. Although sleeping in would provide some pleasure, the overall net pleasure would be greater if I said yes to the study session. The pleasure of this decision can be measured by nearness, certainty, and extent. The nearness of the pleasure was very soon since if I studied and do well on the quiz, I will be very pleased with myself. I would be able to get my grade back in about a week. In addition, I would get the enjoyment of being around my friends in the study session which would be the next day. As for certainty, there would be a greater chance of doing well if I studied more. Therefore, I know the pleasure will arrive sooner. As for extent, there would be other people affected by my action. I knew the circulatory system of the rat better than my friend. If I were to attend the study session I would be able to help her and tutor her so she can do well on the quiz too. By us getting a good grade, I am providing pleasure to myself and another person. Thus, maximizing the amount of happiness.