ipl-logo

Omelas Utilitarianism

1309 Words6 Pages

Utilitarianism is one of the most common approaches for dilemmas. The goal of Utilitarianism is to maximize the overall good. This is also the approach the Omelans take in the story. In the city of Omelas, the injustice of keeping one person confined coincides with justifying those who choose to stay in the city. Those who stay in Omelas are morally justified, because although they realize the suffering of a child is wrong, they take the utilitarian approach and act according to what would benefit the vast majority. Those who live in Omelas have splendid lives in which they live in peace with one another. They ”were, in fact, happy” not simpler than others or naive but “were mature, intelligent, passionate adults whose lives were not wretched” …show more content…

There is mistreatment of this child but not always. They have the door locked and it is in a room with no windows which shows how they are trying to keep the child away from the general public. Those who do see the child do so upon their own free will. They must go through this locked door to see the child. Those who do see the child are more often overcome with anger and despair when seeing this poor child. Even though they realize that the child’s suffering is wrong they also acknowledge that this treatment is necessary for everyone to be happy in their daily lives. Although they care for the child they still do what is right for the majority and act unselfishly by not making changes. It would be selfish to act upon one 's feeling of care for this child. Risking the happiness of everyone else only for the chance of happiness for one would be absurd. There is no guarantee the child would be happy. In the end those who choose to stay in Omelas are truly morally justified in keeping this child in it misery if it insures that everyone else lives happily. Without this child being locked in that room and having this awful, but beneficial reminder then life would be drastically different. This miserable child allows for everyone else to be happy. Those who choose to stay are faced with this awful paradox knowing there is nothing that could ever be changed. If anything were to be changed it could cost thousands of people their happiness. Those who live in Omelas treat their children with even more care by knowing that this child lives in misery. This child is beneficial to the citizens of Omelas in many ways and is the basis of their happiness. The well being of thousands morally justifies the need for one to

Show More
Related

  • Maci Kean Research Paper

    1516 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Story of Maci Kean When you think of people in a kid’s life, you probably imagine two parents, siblings, friends, and teachers. What you don’t typically think is a social worker, a judge, foster homes and a dead mother and father. This became the case for the then 15-year Maci Kean, as well as over 100,000 kids in the United States. When Maci was just a toddler, she became deaf due to a high fever and her father passed away when she was just two due to drug abuse. When she was around the age of 13 her mother passed away as well due to a drug overdose after getting out of jail.

    Read More

  • Wiesel's Philosophy On Oppression

    370 Words  | 2 Pages

    Also, Wiesel talks about if we do not help that we will hear their pain; "now we feel their pain, their agony?" (Wiesel, Perils). The consequences of not doing anything to help people from suffering becomes a big tragedy, just like the

    Read More

  • Cool Guys Walk Away From Omelas Analysis

    495 Words  | 2 Pages

    Somebody staying at Omelas might say it's a great city because there is only one child suffering for everyone, where as the city I might arrive to there could be many suffering children. The difference between Omelas and the city I’ll live at is that the suffering child in Omelas never got a chance to be who he wanted to be. He never got an open Opportunity to show who he really was and where he wanted to go in life. He never got to decide his fate.

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Andrew Bedner Case

    1028 Words  | 5 Pages

    The baby has to endure pain because Bedner refused to take her off of life

    Read More

  • The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas Literary Analysis

    1093 Words  | 5 Pages

    The author gives the reader the question of if he/she would be able to live in their perfect utopia if they had the knowledge that a young child was having to suffer in exchange. The possible political stance behind this work leads one to question it more and wonder if there is such thing as our own Omelas in maybe a smaller less harsh form. “The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas” is a very powerful work, and once analyzed, could potentially lead to questions about our presence in the world that we live in

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Sallie Tisdale's We Do Abortions Here

    490 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, if she shows kindness to the unborn child by not letting the woman abort the child, she would be showing crudity to them by ruining their lives. The audience discovers that no matter the choice, whether they did or didn’t abort the child, there will always be

    Read More

  • Ethical Subjectivism Euthanasia

    529 Words  | 3 Pages

    I think that people should ultimately be relieved of torment because it goes against the virtues of being alive, it is your human right, it 'll benefit your loved ones not to witness you suffer any longer, and it should be considered treatment. First, I believe in the virtues of life is the far meaning of being alive. What is life without virtues? It is hell, darkness, and death.

    Read More

  • Omelas Quote Analysis

    870 Words  | 4 Pages

    The basic needs in life are considered as water, food, and reproduction, and the simple wants are “central heating, subway trains, washing machines, and all kinds of marvelous devices” (p.2). The destruction to society could be one’s remorse for the child’s suffering. If one shows sympathy for the child and it is released from the basement, the city’s beauty and happiness will vanish. The child could represent selfless because its sacrifice is for the prosperity of Omelas. Le Guin explains that the society is a bargain between happiness and

    Read More

  • The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Quote Analysis

    436 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, The narrator defined Omelas as a Utopian city, where everyone in the city is filled with endless joy. The society that they have can be described as the perfect world. While everyone maintains a pleased life, there is a child that is mistreated by the town all to keep everyone happy with their lives. The child has to be locked up in a dark basement, where the child is feed every little and abused by the people in the city. If the child was not locked up and neglected the city could be in danger of losing that happiness, also in fear of the city being destroyed.

    Read More

  • Omelas Utopian

    1249 Words  | 5 Pages

    The story “The Ones Who Walk away from Omelas” is a story that can relate to the real world that we are living in today, being able to be pleasured without guilt. Although the world is not much as a Utopian world for people, but more of a place where someone who wants to be pleasured or happy without feeling guilty. Our civilization is willing to take guiltless trips in or to be happy or satisfied, not knowing what danger they could be causing. In the story, there is a Summer Festival that attracts numerous amount of people of various ages.

    Read More

  • The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Symbolism Essay

    768 Words  | 4 Pages

    How can it be a real utopia when there is unhappiness? This is why some people choose to leave Omelas. They are too fearful of ruining the utopia feel of Omelas. They are unable to live knowing that they can’t do anything for the child so instead they leave. This is just as bad as if they were to stay and live without doing anything for the child.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

    519 Words  | 3 Pages

    Omelas is a perfect city and the cellar room is a vile place, but between those two settings, the people both have a false assumption of the idea of happiness. The city of Omelas is a utopia which consists of a wonderful setting. Omelas’ surroundings are described to be flawless, lively, and to be encircled by mountains. According to the narrator, “Omelas sounds … like a city in a fairy tale, long ago and far away” (2). The city’s residents, buildings, and its location are a main factor in the beauty of Omelas.

    Read More

  • The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Literary Analysis

    1253 Words  | 6 Pages

    In Omelas, the people are trained and taught not to have remorse or pity for the reason of their happiness, so they are able to sacrifice the child. Introduced to the truth as youth and overtime not caring as adults. Each person in the city learns of the child’s existence at some point in their lives, and most come to peer at the child at least once, though some come for a return visit. The happy existence

    Read More

  • Strengths And Weaknesses Of Utilitarianism

    1711 Words  | 7 Pages

    Commonly, ethical systems are categorized into two major systems. The deontological approaches or normative ethical position which judges an action based on the adherence of the action to certain rules and the teleological approaches which judges primarily based on the consequences of an action (Hare, 1964). The Utilitarianism is assigned to the teleological approaches, as it does not evaluate an action by itself but by it’s

    Read More

  • Essay On Divine Command Theory

    1218 Words  | 5 Pages

    The main principle of utilitarianism is happiness. People who follow this theory strive to fulfill the “ultimate good”. The “ultimate good” is defined as ultimate pleasure with out any pain. It is said that the pleasure can be of any quantity and any quality, but pleasures that are weighted more important are put at a higher level than others that are below it. This ethical theory also states that if society would fully embrace utilitarianism then people would naturally realize their moral standing in the

    Read More

More about Omelas Utilitarianism

Open Document