Utilitarianism: The Kitty Genovese Case

Unlike Deontology, Utilitarianism is much more practical for today’s society. For a utilitarian, the only duty is to increase happiness and decrease pain and sadness, for the greatest number of people. This approach suggests that no moral act is essentially right or wrong. An example of this is the Kitty Genovese case. In this case, it would not have mattered if someone called the police because they heard her screaming, were annoyed and could not sleep, or if they called the police because their motive came from a sense of duty to help one who was suffering (Ethics for Life 235). It does not matter the reason someone called; it matters that calling the police had saved Kitty from further pain and distress. This theory is very practical because