Preview

Examples Of Utilitarianism

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
207 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Examples Of Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that states that the best action is the one that maximizes the utility.” Also a utilitarian approach to mortality implies that no moral act or rule is intrinsically right or wrong. With Volkswagen and its employees, the customers, the EPA and indirect party: people living in the countries where Volkswagen sold their diesel cars. Volkswagen were not permissible, because they did not maximize the greater end. Especially in the end, after cheating was discovered no one was left happy. Volkswagen decreased its revenues to somewhere close to 2 billion dollars in profits and also stock price. Volkswagen was blamed for their actions because they knew what they were doing was wrong, because they created a software

Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Act Utilitarianism Case Study
    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Act Utilitarianism Case Study

    The essential part of utilitarianism, whether it is Act or Rule, is to promote the greatest overall utility for the given situation. If we look in terms of Utilitarianism, one would be in favor of killing Tom to save the other four children. Even though, Tom would be killed, he would promote overall utility by saving four people through his one body. This reminds me a lot of the Trolley problem we studied in Unit five. They killed one man to save multiple. This may be considered immoral in a way, but according to Act Utilitarianism, the correct choice and the one that promotes overall utility would be to kill Tom and use his body to save the four siblings. In an Act Utilitarian’s mind, they would first think “In what way could I promote the greatest utility for every single person in the situation?” They must then think about the situation. The mother and father could either lose Tom, or they could lose their other four children. The Doctor could either kill Tom and save the four children or let Tom live and watch the others die…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Eth/316 Ethics Research Paper
    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Eth/316 Ethics Research Paper

    Utilitarianism is a theory in normative ethics holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes overall happiness. Utilitarianism can be characterized as a quantitative and reductionist approach to ethics. It can be contrasted with deontological ethics which does not regard the consequences of an act as a determinant of its moral worth.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Eth/316 Ethics And Social Responsibility Research Paper
    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Eth/316 Ethics And Social Responsibility Research Paper

    Utilitarianism revolves around the concept of “the end justifies the means.” It believes that outcomes as a result of an action have a greater value compared to the latter, the morally right action is the action that produces the most good. It also states that the most ethical thing to do is to take advantage of happiness for the good of the society. This normative theory considers the overall good for all people and not just a single person.…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Criticism Theories: The Consequences Of Utilitarianism
    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Criticism Theories: The Consequences Of Utilitarianism

    Utilitarianism = an ethical philosophy that says the most ethical decision or course of action is the one that maximize utility.…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    U of P / Eth 316 / Ethics Essay Example
    • 761 Words
    • 3 Pages

    U of P / Eth 316 / Ethics Essay Example

    Utilitarianism ethics emphasize that action should be morally beneficial to a group. This course of ethics is often known as “the greatest good for the greatest number” or simply put, “the greater good” (Boylan, 2009). In other words, the consequence of any ethical action should be beneficial for all by mass appeal. This is a common underlying theme for ethics in capitalist economies and business as well as in democratic governments (Boylan, 2009).…

    • 761 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism
    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism

    In the article, “Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism”, Louis P. Pojman explained the grounds on which utilitarianism has been attacked and showed some possible response to its defenders which imply his positive attitude towards utilitarianism [1] . In order to argue that thesis, Pojman’s one important premise is the response to the no-rest objection. He believed that the agent should aim at maximizing his or her own happiness as well as other people’s happiness and is best not to worry much about the need of those not in our primary circle.[1] .…

    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Flaws with Utilitarianism
    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Flaws with Utilitarianism

    Among the most glaring problems that I see with Utilitarianism is its inclusion of animals under the umbrella that blankets this theory. It seems irrefutable that there exists an inordinate number of cases where the consequence that is against the best interest of an animal is favorable to humans, yet that dictating action is one that has been continually taken and condoned by the general public. This is a fundamental challenge, as the Utilitarian philosophy decrees that the pleasure and pain experienced by all individuals, including animals, has equal worth and must be considered when determining the net benefit of an action's consequences.…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle's Argument Against Utilitarianism
    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Aristotle's Argument Against Utilitarianism

    Utilitarianism is an ethical philosophy which seeks to maximize well-being for the largest amount of people. This means that if you can secure pleasure at no moral cost, you should do so. It also means that if you can prevent displeasure for others without sacrificing anything of equal moral value, you should. In Utilitarianism the key is the well-being for the entire population.…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Act Utilitarianism
    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Examples Of Act Utilitarianism

    Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory that aims to maximize total societal utility. Consequently, in determining whether or not there is a moral duty to vote, utilitarians would factor in everyone interests — this includes those ineligible to vote, noncitizens, and future people — to arrive at the total utility calculation. Two types of utilitarians exist. 1) Act utilitarians, who act to maximize total social utility, and 2) Rule utilitarians, who advocate acting according to rules that are expected to maximize total social utility over time. Act-utilitarians would only advocate voting in circumstances in which the action of voting is likely to make a difference — otherwise, why not spend the time it would take for you to vote to…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Explain The Key Ideas Of Utilitarianism
    • 972 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Explain The Key Ideas Of Utilitarianism

    Utilitarianism is a relativist, consequentialist and teleological system of ethics based on the idea of ‘utility’. This means usefulness and utilitarian suggest that everyone should be the most useful thing. The theory was devised by Jeremy Bentham who said “an action is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number”. He believed human beings are motivated by pleasure and pain.…

    • 972 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    utilitarianism
    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages

    utilitarianism

    A utilitarian believes in the action for the good for all people. This would mean that a Utilitarian would agree with the magistrate’s decision on framing the innocent man. The reason behind this agreement is that since the one man being killed is saving lives and saving chaos it makes it ethical, from a utilitarian standpoint. According to utilitarianism one must consider the consequences of a certain action. So in this case the magistrate must weigh the pros and cons of the decision to execute this man. The magistrate must be a utilitarian because he decided to kill the innocent man in an attempt make the majority of people calm. Utilitarian’s also believe in the idea of attaining happiness or pleasure. Therefore making a decision to kill the man the magistrate must believe that it will make everyone happy, making it morally correct in the magistrate’s eyes.…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Utilitarianism
    • 1278 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Utilitarianism

    In A Critique of Utilitarianism, Bernard Williams argues that when following a Utilitarian approach for moral dilemmas, Utilitarianism might have us sacrifice or modify our moral integrity. Williams explains this argument with a hypothetical execution situation with protagonist Jim. Jim, who is a botanical expeditionary, accidentally wanders in the central square of a small South American town. There, he finds twenty Indians tied up in a row, with several armed soldiers standing in front of them. The captain in charge of the soldiers, Pedro, is ready to execute the Indians for protesting against the government. However, Jim is a foreigner and is honored by the captain. Because of this special occasion, Pedro gives Jim the option to shoot and kill one Indian. If Jim accepts, the other nineteen Indians can go free, if not, Pedro will shoot all twenty like intended. The Indians beg Jim to accept the offer and shoot one of them. Now, Jim is faced with a difficult decision whether to shoot one Indian or let Pedro shoot all of them. What should Jim do? It is not sure what the right course of action is, but four different theories could help him decide. These theories are: the Divine Command theory, Cultural Relativism, Kantianism, and Utilitarianism. In this paper, I will present these four theories and their suggestions for Jim’s right course of action, the faults in these theories, and how Utilitarianism is morally correct in this case.…

    • 1278 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Extreme Utilitarianism
    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Examples Of Extreme Utilitarianism

    Extreme utilitarianism has a common-sense approach to moral dilemmas. As is the case when confronting the moral dilemma of euthanasia. The extreme utilitarian looks at euthanasia on a case by case basis. They will use reason to determine whether euthanasia is the right decision to make, and under what circumstances. For example, if the person is clearly suffering, with certain death fast approaching, euthanasia would be the most humane choice, and therefore the right action to take.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Absolutism Vs Utilitarianism
    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Absolutism Vs Utilitarianism

    Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that states that the right course of action would maximises the most utility. An action is right if the sum total of utilities produced by that act is greater than the sum total utilities produced by any other. Utility is defined in various ways so there are some misunderstandings of using utilitarianism. Utilitarianism states that an action is right when the action produces the most utility for all persons affected by the action so we should compare the utility of all of actions to determine which action will produce more utility than any of others in a particular situation. So it's important to determine what alternative actions or policies are available in the situation.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Utilitarianism
    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Utilitarianism

    Utilitarianism is the view that an act is right if it equals the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Utilitarians describe moral actions as actions that boost something good and lessen something that is bad. Virtue, knowledge, and goodwill are all good but they are only good if they give people a pleasurable existence. Pain is the only thing that is intrinsically bad. Utilitarians focus on the result of an act instead of the inherent nature of the act. An example would be an individual throwing their garbage into the ocean. Utilitarians would say throwing garbage into the ocean is not necessarily bad, but the effect it leaves will cause harm sooner or later and that is what is bad. I do not think that utilitarianism can be an ethical theory. It is simply too difficult to determine whether the utilitarian theory can be justified. The dilemma of trying to focus on a positive outcome or focusing on the actions that we take in order to accomplish the greatest good is too hard to measure.…

    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics