What Is Utilitarianism?
Introduction to utilitarianism:
In order for me to identify the option that is most likely considered to be utilitarianism, I had to first understand the term utility. My understanding is that the utilitarianism principle focuses on the happiness of the greatest number of people as a WHOLE. Happiness is a result that carries essential value and the absence of pain or the prevention thereof as a result is more desirable in the end according to John Stuart Mill. [1]
Happiness, how is happiness defined in this context? Happiness is well-defined as the absence of pain with a desirable end of final good and vice versa. [2] The option to act out which produces a higher pleasure is most likely the preferred option for utilitarianism. If at any time …show more content…
[4] Therefore the act of utilitarianism applies in option B where the happiness of a portion has to be decreased in order to effectively increase the happiness of the majority number of people. However it would classify this more to be a negative utilitarianism where the greatest amount of good produced for the greatest number in other theories is in contrast to promote the least amount of evil or harm to prevent the greatest amount of harm for the greater number. In this case the harm of allowing 20 000 children to die because of preventable ailments are a way of doing more harm than doing good. [5] The act utilitarianism states that we need to first consider what the consequence will be when we make such a decision, in order to generate the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people. The aim here is to incite a least painful system of killing humanity as it would minimize overall pain in the end. …show more content…
Unfortunately I would argue that a child is helpless and since the focus is on those children living in extreme poverty I would help the child instead, the rest can sort themselves out. Each individual has a right to live a standardised life and this is merely to have access to clean water, food and medical treatment. No child should be subjected to calculation of pure utility. Promoting happiness for the greater number of people does NOT justify some violation of these children’s welfare when he/she also has a right to benefit in the end. A basic utilitarian analysis made is that resources are scares and that society will be limited to these resources as a result the utility calculations made should be in such a way that the resources are allocated to benefit the greater good. [6] According to ……. It is said that all human benefits are rights in some form and to compromise the life or dilute such a right of an individual (or a small number of people) to claim benefits or satisfaction of the society as a whole is irrational.
In order for me to identify the option that is most likely considered to be utilitarianism, I had to first understand the term utility. My understanding is that the utilitarianism principle focuses on the happiness of the greatest number of people as a WHOLE. Happiness is a result that carries essential value and the absence of pain or the prevention thereof as a result is more desirable in the end according to John Stuart Mill. [1]
Happiness, how is happiness defined in this context? Happiness is well-defined as the absence of pain with a desirable end of final good and vice versa. [2] The option to act out which produces a higher pleasure is most likely the preferred option for utilitarianism. If at any time …show more content…
[4] Therefore the act of utilitarianism applies in option B where the happiness of a portion has to be decreased in order to effectively increase the happiness of the majority number of people. However it would classify this more to be a negative utilitarianism where the greatest amount of good produced for the greatest number in other theories is in contrast to promote the least amount of evil or harm to prevent the greatest amount of harm for the greater number. In this case the harm of allowing 20 000 children to die because of preventable ailments are a way of doing more harm than doing good. [5] The act utilitarianism states that we need to first consider what the consequence will be when we make such a decision, in order to generate the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people. The aim here is to incite a least painful system of killing humanity as it would minimize overall pain in the end. …show more content…
Unfortunately I would argue that a child is helpless and since the focus is on those children living in extreme poverty I would help the child instead, the rest can sort themselves out. Each individual has a right to live a standardised life and this is merely to have access to clean water, food and medical treatment. No child should be subjected to calculation of pure utility. Promoting happiness for the greater number of people does NOT justify some violation of these children’s welfare when he/she also has a right to benefit in the end. A basic utilitarian analysis made is that resources are scares and that society will be limited to these resources as a result the utility calculations made should be in such a way that the resources are allocated to benefit the greater good. [6] According to ……. It is said that all human benefits are rights in some form and to compromise the life or dilute such a right of an individual (or a small number of people) to claim benefits or satisfaction of the society as a whole is irrational.