Objection To Act Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is the moral theory that the action that people should take it the one that provides the greatest utility. In this paper I intend to argue that utilitarianism is generally untenable because act and rule utilitarianism both have objections that prove they cannot fully provide the sure answer on how to make moral decisions and what will be the ultimate outcome. I intend to do this by defining the argument for act and rule utilitarianism, giving an example, presenting the objections to act and rule utilitarianism and proving that utilitarianism is untenable. Both act and rule utilitarianism attempt to argue that what is right or wrong can be proven by what morally increases the well being of people. Act utilitarianism argues that …show more content…
A main objection to act utilitarianism is that it can be impossible to determine the scope, intensity, and/or the duration of the action. People cannot possibly predict every single outcome that will come from an action and the affect it will have for sure. Another objection to act utilitarianism is that it makes people rely to heavily on morals when making their decision. This turns even the simplest decision into some complicated process that is not needed. For example, people do not need to look at the intensity when they are deciding what chips to buy at the grocery store, they can simply just choose the one they like best. Rule utilitarianism attempts to fix the flaws of act utilitarianism by being stricter on how we should make our decisions. However, rule utilitarianism has the dilemma that sometimes rules can come into conflict with one another. Suppose someone told you a secret and you promised not to tell anyone, but you later find out that secret will harm someone else. Rule utilitarianism holds that people should keep their promises, but also that they should work to not harm anyone. This exposes the main dilemma to rule utilitarianism, and if the rule utilitarian were to say that depending on the situation some rules can be broken, then that just leads right back to act utilitarianism and how it depends on each situation. Neither act or rule utilitarianism is broad enough to fit every moral decision into their theory. Consequently, utilitarianism in general is
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Act Utilitarianism Analysis
1237 Words | 5 PagesUnder the moral theory of act utilitarianism, I will argue that the elements that define it as a moral theory, do not always hold up as a strong theory in its totality when we critically analyse it. I will also point out a few hypothetical situations and possible consequences when implementation of act utilitarianism is followed through. The consequences will be proven to have the potential to undo the utility of happiness for our loved family members, in order to care for strangers we do not have a connection with, which in my opinion is highly immoral. According to lecture notes ( Weijers & Munn 2016)
Rule Utilitarianism Research Paper
1050 Words | 5 PagesSomebody ought not obviously neglect to allude to the qualifications of the Utilitarian approach in Act and Rule Utilitarianism. Lead utilitarianism is a plan utilitarianism, which keeps up that a behavioral code or control is ethically right if the outcomes of embracing that govern are more positive than negative to everybody. The above is appeared differently in relation to act utilitarianism, which keeps up that the ethical quality of each activity is to be resolved in connection to the great or horrible outcomes that rise up out of that activity. The standard of control utilitarianism is a test just for the profound quality of good guidelines, for example, "taking isn't right" and not a test for specific activities.
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1122 Words | 5 Pages5. The two similarities between act utilitarian and rule utilitarian is that they both want good and lest harm for the greatest number of people. The differences is Act utilitarian wants the most good or least harm for the greatest number of people directly affected by the decision. That the act will result in in the best or least harmful consequences for the specific act.
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Act Utilitarianism
152 Words | 1 PagesFirst and foremost, albeit the validity whether the case study is based on or correlating with a real world occurrence is unconfirmed, the assumption has to be made that in the world of the case study good and equally bad consequences occur attributed to the decisions made by the stakeholders. Consequently, by analyzing the behaviors of the stakeholders in the case study the logistically apt theory to apply is Act Utilitarianism. First thing to recognize, is that the composition of the Act Utilitarianism theory is derived from Consequential and Utilitarian theories. The former is based on the behaviors or actions of people, the latter emphasizes the need to produce the greatest possible good for the greatest amount of people. With this in mind,
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1438 Words | 6 PagesOne of the major dilemmas in the philosophical community surrounds which moral theory should determine whether an action is right or wrong. Philosophers have sought a solution to the problem since it involves important aspects of daily life, namely how to judge the moral worth and acceptability of actions. Different utilitarian theories have been proposed, but a criticism regarding the way they address promises and justice poses a problem. This criticism must be analyzed through act and rule utilitarian perspectives to determine whether either form of utilitarianism can be a plausible theory of morality. In this paper, I will examine the theory of utilitarianism.
Examples Of Pure Utilitarianism
853 Words | 4 PagesIn this paper, I will define what pure utilitarianism is, as presented in Jeremy Bentham’s “Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation” and argue that there is a problem with utilitarianism. I will provide a counterexample to Bentham’s utilitarianism to highlight the flaws with Bentham’s reasoning. I will present an alternative to utilitarianism that avoids the counterexample by slightly revising aggregation. Lastly, I will claim that my revised alternative is still flawed and another counterexample can still be provided.
Applying George's Utilitarianism Theory
543 Words | 3 PagesFor rule utilitarianism, it tells us to follow a set of rules that maximizes utility such as “keep your promise, otherwise you will get hurt”. The rules permit us to account for obligations to specific people. If I apply rule utilitarianism to the dilemma facing George, he will get a different result from act utilitarianism. First, if George accepts a rule that conditions that parents have the responsibility to take care of their children, George saves his family will not be violated of his duties as a
Utilitarian Theory And Ethical Theoretical Analysis
895 Words | 4 PagesUtilitarian theory is a choice between two acts that can maximize utility for the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people (Mossier, 2013). Utilitarian takes the right proportion of utilities to promote happiness and prevent pain (Mossier, 2013). People are not happy working in an environment where people cannot read or write because it sometimes requires more work. Utilities are the expressed quality of happiness or satisfaction one gets from something (Mossier, 2013). Happiness comes in many levels of preference (Mossier, 2013).
Utilitarianism In Business Ethics
1685 Words | 7 PagesHowever, this is much more complex than the seemingly practical to use act utilitarianism. Assigning different ‘levels’ to different pleasures and pains can take up a considerable amount of time, when sometimes a quick decision is necessary. Furthermore, with both act and rule utilitarianism, the pleasure and pain of every potential situation must be calculated to decide the most moral course of action. However, it is impossible for one person, or even a group of people, to perfectly calculate every potential outcome – many situations will have extremely different consequences to what was originally predicted. Moreover, especially in larger companies, it is hard to measure far-reaching
Playford Utilitarianism
249 Words | 1 PagesAccording to Playford, Roberts and Playford (2015), Utilitarianism is an ethical ideology where the right and wrong are based on the premise that aims at maximizing the overall well-being of an individual in the society. In fact, it is commonly associated with the common phrase “the greatest good for the greatest number of people” (Playford, Roberts and Playford, 2015). It requires that people should behave in the best possible manner in order to achieve the greatest well-being, as well as resulting in happiness of the majority of the members of society. As such, the intensity of happiness that forms the thresh hold of Utilitarian ethical ideology is concerning what is right and wrong. Utilitarian ethics does not only emphasize on individual
Utilitarianism Principle
355 Words | 2 PagesUtilitarianism is a principle that I often find business makers utilizing. This approach is determined by the consequences of an act; basically if the cost benefits a majority of people. This principle seems to be one of the most popular approaches to ethical decision-making, however, it is not always the best option. An example of this approach is when an employer has to terminate an employee because they have exhausted their PTO and Personal Leave, do not qualify for FMLA, however required to be on payroll for 2 more months to qualify for long-term disability and FMLA. This was a situation that recently happened at my employment place.
The Role Of Utilitarianism In Victorian England
189 Words | 1 PagesUtilitarianism is the theory that "The act we should choose is that which produces the best results for the greatest number affected by That choice" (Mosser, 2013). The utilitarian theory is not consistent, but rather it is viewed as "right" since it creates the best used for the quantity of individuals will's identity influenced by the activity or decision. The utilitarian standard was a much-needed refresher in Victorian England l, where many people were looking for a nonreligious, clear, free way to deal with moral quality. It was left to succeed hundreds of years to react fundamentally to utilitarianism. One is the issues with utilitarianism is that it is not conceivable or simple to anticipate the outcomes of your activities.
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