Open Document. Is it ethical to allow some people to suffer so more people can live well? Two examples of consequentialism are . Wooldridge79, status page at https://status.libretexts.org. An example of this would be pharmaceutical companies raising the cost for medicine, this cause many patients to suffer or not be able to afford the medication they need. Consequentialism. It seems that a Utilitarian would be forced to accept that eliminating this minority would increase the happiness for the majority of people, and would therefore be a moral action. Secondly, Utilitarians emphasize that agents are to be neutral in making their decisions. We would thus be led to speak of more than one concept of, e.g., freedom, democracy, etc.) Disadvantages: Consequentialism forces physicians to predict consequences. When we focus on the long-term consequences of the above cases, the Utilitarian answer will change. We also acknowledge previous National Science Foundation support under grant numbers 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739. Suppose that by killing X, an entirely innocent person, we can save the lives of 10 other innocent people, A consequentialist would say that killing X is justified because it would result in only 1 person dying, rather than 10 people dying, It seems sensible to base ethics on producing happiness and reducing unhappiness, It seems sensible to base ethics on the consequences of what we do, since we usually take decisions about what to do by considering what results will be produced. But as previously stated, war and the strife and chaos that comes with it are undesirable; however, in this particular circumstance something that may be bad as war can be said to be a for a good cause. 2 cannot override. What are the drawbacks of Utilitarianism? What does this say about the theory? At an initial glance, Utilitarianism seems as if it would be a superior way to live a life full of good will, as it is focused on doing the most. Who makes the plaid blue coat Jesse stone wears in Sea Change. (ed. He says that if he is given the next suitable organ he will fund 1000 hip-replacements a year for 10 years. It seems that a Utilitarian would inform us that George should take the job, for doing so will lead to better overall consequences than turning down the job. Consequentialism and deontology are two such theories that are classified under ethics of conduct, i.e., our behavior and the way we conduct ourselves. Consequentialism says that we can tell if an action is good based on whether it leads to good consequences. George has a family, and his wife works hard to support them. % insists that the outcomes of any given action are what decided the This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. its refusal to attach value to anything other than the state of affairs brought about by an action) renders it incompatible with a central part of our moral tradition, viz. Advantages: (1) Focuses on the development of habits that promote human excellence & happiness; (2) Recognizes how rational behavior requires being sensitive to the social & personal dimensions of life; (3) Rational" actions are not based on abstract principles but on moderation; (4) provides moral motivation rooted in disposition of On his desk he found two very compelling arguments about the potential development of a church on private property. Information. Opposition to the act of abortion argues that the fetus is considered a human being, killing an innocent human being is a . other members to sacrifice his or her life to the angry gods who Although there are references to this idea in the works of ancient . Read more. In this paper, I will argue that the disadvantages of Utilitarianism far outweigh the advantages. George, however, is opposed to chemical and biological warfare, and he therefore cannot accept the job. For what its worth, Georges wife is not against chemical and biological warfare. 22 Since writing this I have become aware of the existence of two other papers which contend that utilitarianism, on account of its consequentialism, is not a possible morality. Whether an act is right or wrong depends only on the results of that act, The more good consequences an act produces, the better or more right that act, A person should choose the action that maximises good consequences, People should live so as to maximise good consequences. Total loading time: 0 9 An essentially contested concept is one concerning which there is no agreement even about what is to count as a central or paradigm instance of it. Promotes the greatest happiness for the most significant number of people. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. This means if there is a problem things can be solved more quickly and solutions are generally of a better quality. 21 Utilitarianism: Pros and ConsB.M. We get to focus on an objective, universal solution. The removal of the minority need not involve murder, although it could. Consequentialism = whether an act is morally right depends only on consequences (not circumstances, the intrinsic nature of the act, or anything that happens before the act). Abstract. to the greatest amount is generally accepted as the proper standard With this in mind, people will strive to be morally and ethically good to avoid the . The Survival Lottery thought experiment highlights that there are actions which we consider morally right or wrong regardless of the amount of happiness or welfare produced. . Consequentialism claims that whether an action is right or wrong depends on the consequences that it brings about. To do so, lets look at a current example of limited resources, such as ventilators, in hospitals during the Covid-19 outbreak and how we may decide which patients should be allocated these resources. 14 These latter concepts have been called morally complete concepts in that they refer to types of act selected completely from the moral point of view. This theory has both strengths and weaknesses. Indeed, if this colleague takes the job, he will pursue the research with great zeal. The most famous version of this theory is utilitarianism. is it happiness, pleasure, satisfaction of desire or something else? Ethical formalism dispenses with content altogether. Deontologists need their own, non-consequentialist model of rationality, one that is a viable alternative to the intuitively plausible "act-to-produce-the-best-consequences" model of rationality that motivates consequentialist theories. View all Google Scholar citations consequences of certain normative properties decide the rightness Negative consequentialism is the inverse of ordinary consequentialism. In this example: A hospital has limited capacity to deal with Covid-19 patients and is having to decide between admitting a 20 year old patient, who is fit and well, and a 75 year old patient, who has a history of heart disease, to their last available ventilator. When programmed properly, these errors can be reduced to null. 3. Type. Overall, the theory of Utilitarianism, while perhaps initially appealing, seems to have some serious flaws. A savior sibling is a child who is born to be genetically compatible with a sibling that is suffering from a life-threatening disease. Computer can perform millions or trillions of work in one second. Removing the minority might involve genocide or mass deportations, both of which seem morally problematic. On the face of it, this seems like a sensible moral theory. Utilitarianism is often associated with the classical economists, such as Adam Smith . Consequentialism is the belief that the outcomes of actions, the consequences of certain normative properties decide the rightness or . Advantages. Williams is not clear on whether George will actively sabotage the research, but it can be reasonably assumed that if George takes the job, he will perform his duties in such a way that will minimize the impact that chemical and biological research will have on developing weapons for war. Whenever we are faced with a decision, an act consequentialist will expect us to ask that question. In many hospitals and healthcare trusts across the world this is the thought process that is guiding their policies regarding who should be treated in hospitals. For example Brenda Grey has asked for the asthma specialist to visit her weekly, and to decide if this is necessary the professionals involved have to look at how it would affect her wellbeing. If ones action leads to good, or happy, consequences, then that action is morally permissible. In the documents, Commissioner Walker read that Pastor Bayless Conely of the Cottonwood Christian Center. 1. Utilitarianism. In the broadest sense, they define what qualifies as right and wrong, as well as how to promote human flourishing. An older chemist who knows George tells George that he can get him a job in a laboratory. (My italics.). (All page references will be to those selections from this work reprinted in Utilitarianism, M. Warnock (ed. Events and interactive experiences exploring ethics of being human. The theory is also impartial. But this seems to be impersonal. (London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd, 1976).Google Scholar. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Philosophy , Volume 56 , Issue 218 , October 1981 , pp. The two moral reasonings are consequentialist and categorical. Consequentialism and deontology form part of the common approaches to moral thought. Theories of Ethics, (Oxford University Press, 1967). John Stuart Mill, a student of Benthams, disagreed. . In some cases, following Utilitarianism will force us to disregard those who are close to us. This is the basis of duty based ethics, also known as deontology, which we will turn our attention to in the next post. 2 Bentham, Jeremy, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789), 34Google Scholar. Communication Forum: The speed of communication becomes faster which is obtained through the web. For example when faced with a difficult situation in your life, you can use ethical theories to assist you in making the right decision. Even if his wife and family were against chemical and biological warfare, and even considering that George himself is against chemical and biological warfare, he needs to put these interests and considerations aside and make the decision that is best for everyone involved. Results-based ethics plays a very large part in everyday life because it is simple and appeals to common sense: Act consequentialism looks at every single moral choice anew. Our work is only made possible because of you. Consequentialism says that right or wrong depend on the consequences of an act, and that the more good consequences are produced, the better the act. 3. However, the other citizens, who make up the majority, have prejudices against this minority, and consider its presence very disagreeable, and proposals are put forward to remove this minority.82 Williams is not clear on what would be involved in removing the minority. how do you compare a large quantity of happiness that lasts for a few minutes with a gentle satisfaction that lasts for years? The lack of respect for the integrity of the individual is raised by Bernard Williams' famous 'Jim and the . Legal. It will be shown that in spite of the strengths of . Benthams views are most closely aligned withact utilitarianism. What are the advantages of consequentialism? In response to this, a Utilitarian might adopt a rule, the general following of which will lead to better long-term consequences. 11 In the discussion following a paper read to Queen's University Philosophical Society in 1977. Does consequentialism really possess the advantages claimed for it by its supporters? He said, she said: Investigating the Christian Porter Case. For example if there was an architecture firm and they needed . It is a form of consequentialism. John Stuart Mill, one of the foremost Utilitarian moral theorists, sums up Utilitarianism as follows: actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.80. That is, Utilitarianism provides us with a clear path for determining which action in a given situation will be the correct one: it is that action that will increase utility. Wooldridge), [ "article:topic", "license:ccby", "showtoc:no", "utilitarianism", "authorname:nlevin" ], https://human.libretexts.org/@app/auth/3/login?returnto=https%3A%2F%2Fhuman.libretexts.org%2FBookshelves%2FPhilosophy%2FIntroduction_to_Ethics_(Levin_et_al. Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its consequences are. What are the strengths and weaknesses of consequentialism? Reprinted in Foot (ed.) There are rewards if you do something good, and there are repercussions if you do something wrong. night at an orgy makes a whole lot of sense. The consequences of an action, however, do provide us with a clear criterion for what counts as a morally good action. Perhaps the biggest strength of Utilitarianism is that it is, at least prima facie, easier to reach a conclusion under this theory than other theories. To suffer so more people can live well with a gentle satisfaction lasts. 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