Hedonistic Utilitarianism
1. How is the lottery an example of the utilitarian monster?
Utilitarianism is an ethics that is based on the outcome and not on how that outcome is achieved. It is based on the principal that a belief that benefits majority must be preferred. That means that all the choices made can be categorized as being generous or miserable, honestly or dishonestly dealt, irrespective of the way but must make more individuals happy. Money minded utilitarianism will measure happiness in terms of money. When we consider lottery, we need to think that there is going to be a winners that will be happy and those who didn’t win will be either bit sad or won’t care. The next question that a utilitarian will consider is the degree of happiness or sadness. The level of happiness will be enormous for the winner and others associated with him but the sadness will be negligible by those who did not win a lottery. Those who did not win do not lose hope and are seen buying another lottery ticket and may waste heaps of money for years. Besides that money raised from lottery is often used for social wellbeing programmes and …show more content…
these programmes will provide happiness to individuals. Due to high degree of happiness and to more individuals, lotteries are also ethically recommended. Based on the above discussion, lottery can be an example of a utilitarian monster.
2. How can you set yourself up to argue in favor of or against the ethical existence of the lottery in terms of monetized utilitarianism?
Monetized utilitarianism tries to measure the happiness with reference to money. Society has always had difference on ethnicity of lottery. Some individuals might consider lottery a source of an individual’s happiness so must be ethically correct, but I disagree. Winning a lottery may provide happiness to handful people but it is a disappointed to many more. Besides this it is also unethical as when buying the ticket for a lottery, every individual is so hopeful that he/she will win the lottery and that will change their fate. Every ticket holder puts his faith in being a winner but they forget that these lottery tickets are not made for winning but are designed not to win.
3. Lotteries are about money and about fun, that is even for the losers, there’s a benefit in the thrill of watching the numbers turn up. Could the case be made that, from a hedonistic utilitarian standpoint, the lottery is ethically recommendable because it serves the welfare not only of the winner but also of the millions of losers?
Hedonistic Utilitarianism measures the rightness of any action on the amount of pleasure it produces and the pain that is prevented by it.
The lottery case when viewed from the hedonistic utilitarianism’s point of view then the lottery is ethically recommendable because it serves the welfare not only of the winner but also of the millions of losers. Winners of the lottery will be finding enormous pleasure from their victory and the money they have won but the money that is collected as a result of these lotteries is also providing pleasure to many more. The money from the lottery ticket is used for social welfare programme that will provide pleasure to many more and there would be no pain involved in it. Thus from Hedonistic Utilitarianism perspective ethically lottery can be recommended as it serves the welfare of both the winners as well as that of millions of
losers.
4. One of Lindsay Beyerstein’s concerns is that the lottery tends to redistribute money from the poor toward the rich. Does a utilitarian necessarily consider this redistribution unethical?
Redistribution of money from the poor towards the rich is not necessarily considered unethical from utilitarian’s perspective. Aim of the utilitarian is to provide pleasure and reduce the pain. The lottery tickets can be bought by the poor people with the hope of winning and becoming rich but they only buy ticket when they have money. After losing same person will get bit upset but not dishearten as will buy another ticket with a new hope. So when the money from those bought ticket is redistributed among the rich will provide them the pleasure to gain more money. Both the hedonistic Utilitarianism and monetized utilitarianism’s perspective the pleasure and the money gained by the rich will not be considered unethical.
Utilitarianism is an ethics that is based on the outcome and not on how that outcome is achieved. It is based on the principal that a belief that benefits majority must be preferred. That means that all the choices made can be categorized as being generous or miserable, honestly or dishonestly dealt, irrespective of the way but must make more individuals happy. Money minded utilitarianism will measure happiness in terms of money. When we consider lottery, we need to think that there is going to be a winners that will be happy and those who didn’t win will be either bit sad or won’t care. The next question that a utilitarian will consider is the degree of happiness or sadness. The level of happiness will be enormous for the winner and others associated with him but the sadness will be negligible by those who did not win a lottery. Those who did not win do not lose hope and are seen buying another lottery ticket and may waste heaps of money for years. Besides that money raised from lottery is often used for social wellbeing programmes and …show more content…
these programmes will provide happiness to individuals. Due to high degree of happiness and to more individuals, lotteries are also ethically recommended. Based on the above discussion, lottery can be an example of a utilitarian monster.
2. How can you set yourself up to argue in favor of or against the ethical existence of the lottery in terms of monetized utilitarianism?
Monetized utilitarianism tries to measure the happiness with reference to money. Society has always had difference on ethnicity of lottery. Some individuals might consider lottery a source of an individual’s happiness so must be ethically correct, but I disagree. Winning a lottery may provide happiness to handful people but it is a disappointed to many more. Besides this it is also unethical as when buying the ticket for a lottery, every individual is so hopeful that he/she will win the lottery and that will change their fate. Every ticket holder puts his faith in being a winner but they forget that these lottery tickets are not made for winning but are designed not to win.
3. Lotteries are about money and about fun, that is even for the losers, there’s a benefit in the thrill of watching the numbers turn up. Could the case be made that, from a hedonistic utilitarian standpoint, the lottery is ethically recommendable because it serves the welfare not only of the winner but also of the millions of losers?
Hedonistic Utilitarianism measures the rightness of any action on the amount of pleasure it produces and the pain that is prevented by it.
The lottery case when viewed from the hedonistic utilitarianism’s point of view then the lottery is ethically recommendable because it serves the welfare not only of the winner but also of the millions of losers. Winners of the lottery will be finding enormous pleasure from their victory and the money they have won but the money that is collected as a result of these lotteries is also providing pleasure to many more. The money from the lottery ticket is used for social welfare programme that will provide pleasure to many more and there would be no pain involved in it. Thus from Hedonistic Utilitarianism perspective ethically lottery can be recommended as it serves the welfare of both the winners as well as that of millions of
losers.
4. One of Lindsay Beyerstein’s concerns is that the lottery tends to redistribute money from the poor toward the rich. Does a utilitarian necessarily consider this redistribution unethical?
Redistribution of money from the poor towards the rich is not necessarily considered unethical from utilitarian’s perspective. Aim of the utilitarian is to provide pleasure and reduce the pain. The lottery tickets can be bought by the poor people with the hope of winning and becoming rich but they only buy ticket when they have money. After losing same person will get bit upset but not dishearten as will buy another ticket with a new hope. So when the money from those bought ticket is redistributed among the rich will provide them the pleasure to gain more money. Both the hedonistic Utilitarianism and monetized utilitarianism’s perspective the pleasure and the money gained by the rich will not be considered unethical.