Theories Of Utilitarianism
1.Utilitarianism decides what is morally right and wrong based off the amount happiness a decision creates compared to the unhappiness is caused by the decision. So if a majority of people would benefit and a minority would not then the decision is still morally right. Utilitarianism is also based more in facts then divine or religious codes. This does mean that what is and is not morally right can change as more facts are known.
2. The basic theory of utilitarianism is easy to understand. Basically the morally right decision is the one that has the biggest benefit. This simplicity is a pro for this theory making it quick to understand compared to some other theories. While this theory prioritizes happiness it also uses all of the facts available
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I think all the arguments made against this theory do convince me that utilitarianism is a flawed theory. The backward-looking reasons argument says that even though we should think of the consequences of a decision sometimes a past event like a promise is more important than the happiness gained from breaking said promise. This kind of obvious because if you break a promise then people will stop trusting you. The second argument in the book that utilitarianism is too demanding also makes sense to me. We can’t expect people to give away all their money and possessions to charity. If this was true then people would not be able to enjoy life in the way that they enjoy. They would have to give away most of their money and only keep enough to sustain themselves and their jobs. The final argument that it disrupts personal relationships is also a good one. While most people agree that everyone should be treated equal very few people treat strangers the same as loved ones. This is because that honor is usually saved for people we know personally and have experiences with. If we treated everyone the same as a loved one then that would ruin any personal relationship because you would be treating any person you meet like family.
4. If society was based more on utilitarianism our beliefs and practices would be factual based. Instead of religion influencing our beliefs and practices people would instead use both the pros and cons of a decision to decide what is right. But I do think this wouldn’t be a completely good thing. Utilitarianism says decisions should benefit the majority over the minority. This could lead to an oppressive majority that would only make decisions that benefit them without caring at all about the effects on the
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