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Utilitarian John Stuart Mill

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Save the Poor or Be Free to Make Your Own Choices Utility is defined as an action that benefits the majority of society. Utilitarian John Stuart Mill, is someone who I have observed to determine this decision. Liberty is different in that it incorporates individual’s rights by allowing for people to do as they please and creating minimal state interference. The issue needs to be fixed on whether the government should intervene with a utilitarian perspective and help the poor. This would cause the lumber company to lose their individual freedoms. An alternative is to allow the person who owns the lumber to have his choice with libertarianism in raising the prices. This ethical perspective would cause the poor native individuals to possibly …show more content…

However, this does not make it right to choose whether or not you want to have a freedom to create more inequality for the safety of others. It is unjust to raise the prices when you know that it could endanger all of the people that cannot afford it. It is almost like putting a price on human life. It can be understood that Lester should have the right to choose, but this choice can be costing the lives of many native people. That is morally and ethically unjust. Libertarians believe that people should be able to do whatever they want as long as it doesn’t affect others people. In this case, the lumber company’s choices are affecting those that are not able to afford it, which goes against the libertarian view. Another problem is that libertarians make the view that it should be the individual’s choice whether they want to raise the price or not. But, what about those poor individuals who did not get to choose where and when they were born? Choice is a big factor within the libertarian view, and it seems wrong to make a choice when the other party cannot. Lester cannot choose to not give the poor lumber because they did not get to choose their own lives. It is not acceptable for certain people to use “greed that preys on human misery” (Sandel, pg. ). Libertarians say that people can choose to help the poor out of the goodness of their heart. However, in …show more content…

However, for this extreme case, the lumber industry is just being greedy and costing the lives of those in need. This is more important than what the outcomes could be after the government intervenes. There obviously are certain times when utilitarianism seems morally wrong. For example, if an individual was suffering, but his or her suffering caused more people to be happy in society. However, in this case the poor would be the only ones truly suffering if we stick to a libertarian view. That is my point of view, and I hope that you will choose correctly with this ethical

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