Utilitarianism: Morally Right Or Wrong?

Utilitarianism argues that the best action is always the one that yields maximum utility. The core idea behind this theory is that the effects of actions determine whether the action is morally right or wrong. According to utilitarian’s, the function of morality is to increase what is good, for example happiness and pleasure, and decrease the occurrence of bad things. It follows that actions are morally right to the extent that they produce the greatest good for the greatest number. Actions are wrong if they tend to produce the opposite of happiness. Utilitarianism provide that it is the moral duty of all human beings to maximise pleasure and reduce pain. Under utilitarianism, moral principles are neither necessary nor absolute as the outcome of our actions are dependent on prevailing circumstances.
There are several objections to this theory and these include the argument that it is hard to determine the outcome of an action in advance or who will be affected by such action. There is also the objection that there is more to life than the pleasure used to determine utility. In addition, the
According to this theory, there are two questions that are important in determining if certain actions are right or wrong. These questions are whether everyone will act in a similar way and whether such actions respect the objectives of other individuals as opposed to using them to benefit the individual engaging in the act. For an action to be morally right, the individual acting should will that everyone acts in the same manner and the actions should respect the objectives of others. Kant based his ethics on a principle of morality he called the categorical imperative. He argues that the categorical imperative binds everyone irrespective of their desires. They are binding because they are based on