Pros and Cons of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a philosophy in which the ends justify the means, or in which the morality of an action is determined by the function that follows the action. There are rewards if you do something good, and there are repercussions if you do something wrong. 4 Hill Stations that you need to Explore near Delhi, Ethics – From a Philosophy to an Everyday Need. It avoids the pitfalls of Bentham;s hedonic calculus, such as allowing for immoral acts. Hedonistic Utilitarianism An action is god when it maximizes the amount of pleasure for most people, consequences in a minimum amount of pain. This emphasis on neutrality makes Utilitarianism an impartial moral theory, meaning it considers everyone’s status and interests as equal. It is arguably a more intelligent and thoughtful approach than Bentham's theory. If everyone shares this ideal and puts it into practice, the world would be an amazing place to live in. It is a universal concept that all of us can understand. Other versions of utilitarianism as well as the alternative moral theories available can often eliminate the existing flaws in rule utilitarianism. Often, key concepts like justice and rights do not play a significant role in these rules, thus endangering their preservation. We don’t want to live in misery all of the time, even if pessimism is the star of every thought that we have. Thus, utilitarianism works on a single moral principle- maximizing utility and thus ensuring greatest good for the greatest number. 2. But, common sense morality appeals that such a punishment is unjustified as it not only treats the person unjustly but also violates one’s right not to be punished despite being not guilty or undeserving. It is this interdependence between the two that assures the prevalence of a just code and a just idea of behaviour itself in the society. Two different forms of Rule utilitarianism, firstly strong rule utilitarianism were the rules are absolute and give no reason to break the rules at any time or place. The Need of Gender Equality Cells in Academic Institutions. Why do we avoid rape or murder, anyway? Another reply might be that it is better that everybody follows the rule than that nobody should, as the latter situation would certainly not be beneficial to the greater good of all. This theory emphasizes that by focusing on happiness, we can work towards the... 7 Attractive Pros of Utilitarianism. Cook up some roast pterodactyl. Cons. If we are devising a code for drivers, we can adopt either open-ended rules like drive safely or specific rules like stop at red lights, \"do not travel more than 30 miles per hour in residential areas, do not drive when drunk,\" etc. However, it has limits. The rule drive safely, like the act utilitarian principle, is a very general rule that le… Whatever makes you happy 1.3. This ethical theory may seem simple enough to understand, but it covers all sorts of elements that have good and bad sides, pros and cons. When making a decision, one is to take a ‘God’s eye’ view of things, and consider everyone equally. Utilitarianism, however, reject moral codes or systems that are based on traditions, customs or beliefs. Whether the acceptance of these morals through the said act will maximize utility in the society. Rule Utilitarianism: Evaluation of first the moral rules the act is based upon and then the act itself, the evaluation of the latter being based on-. Another strength of Utilitarianism is its emphasis on neutrality. Whatever he wants? We get to base our primary focus on the satisfaction of society. By creating a society which places more value on actions that bring happiness, we could create a place where there is more common ground to be found. Invent fire. It means pure Act Utilitarianism is impossible to achieve on a grand scale, especially when the rest of the collective are ignorant to the variables involved during an offending act. A rule utilitarian would probably be interested in thinking along the lines of: a specific action is morally justified if it conforms to a justified moral rule; and a moral rule is justified if its inclusion into our moral code would create more utility than other possible rules. When making a decision, one is to take a ‘God’s eye’ view of things, and consider everyone equally. I said earlier that the attempt to formulate a kind of consequentialism which incorporates virtually unbreakable rules rests on a misunderstanding of the philosophical objections to it. Let’s say that lying to someone would save their life. So, a moral rule requiring parents to perform a special duty to care for their own children is a partial rule as it not only allows but actually requires parents to devote more time and resources to their own children than to others. Act utilitarianism focuses on the impacts of individualistic actions whereas rule utilitarianism focuses on the effects of the nature of the action itself. A rule utilitarian would probably be interested in thinking along the lines of: a specific action is morally justified if it conforms to a justified moral rule; and a moral rule is justified if its inclusion into our moral code would create more utility than other possible rules. no rule must principally consider the impact of an action on all people and weigh all interests equally. Second, having Utilitarian based rules for a population doesn't mean you are a Rule Utilitarian. The discussion considers two main types of rule-utilitarianism: primitive and ‘ideal’. If our aim is always to produce the best results, it seems plausible to think that in each case of deciding what is the right thing to do, we should consider the available options (i.e. List of Pros of Utilitarianism 1. But what is good in this type of moral theory? Relevance. If our aim is always to produce the best results, it seems plausible to think that in each case of deciding what is the right thing to do, we should consider the available options (i.e. When it is known that utility can be further maximized by violating the rule, the default position should be over-ridden, which, however, defeats the very purpose of having a rigid moral code in the first place. It does not take into account how people in a minority position factor into that society. It avoids the pitfalls of Bentham;s hedonic calculus, such as allowing for immoral acts. It is arguably a more intelligent and thoughtful approach than Bentham's theory. Utilitarianism, however, is not uniform- the two most primary forms of this theory are Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism. After all, not all bad actions are downright bad. A rule-based system would still consider the lie immoral, while utilitarian logic would consider it morally correct. Rule Utilitarianism: Pros and Cons. Pros and Cons of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a philosophy in which the ends justify the means, or in which the morality of an action is determined by the function that follows the action. What Does Your MBTI Personality Type Say About Your Career? Also Read: – How Exclusive Have We Made the World for Our Queer Friends? Rule utilitarianism might sound paradoxical because when it argues that one can produce more beneficial results by following rules than by always performing actions whose results are beneficial, it implies that performing utility-maximizing actions isn’t always justified, going against the very idea of utilitarianism. The major advantage is providing a more consistent approach to ethics than more traditional deontic forms, based on common values and principles. • It avoids giving incorrect answers to moral questions by not evaluating actions separately but by supporting rules that, when applied, maximize utility. For instance, before you turn in a project, you have to stop and think if you have done everything right. In its simplest form, utilitarianism works in the premise that an action is considered good if it benefits someone. Utilitarianism is important to humans, particularly when resolving two deonteleogical claims. Whether the act adheres to the said moral rules. Provide a clear and easy-to-understand guidelines Utilitarianism is one of the forms of consequentialism that states... 2. Actions performed must conform to these rules, making this criterion the primary one to judge all actions. the balance of happiness over unhappiness) not just for yourself but for everyone and not just in the short term but in the long term” (Klumpe 3). Utilitarianism Essay 1552 Words | 7 Pages. Also Read: – Condoms and The Shame Attached to it. 1. This partiality, however, can be justified- caring for children is a demanding activity which cannot be done for all, children need the special attention of adults to develop physically and emotionally and children’s needs vary, requiring knowledge of particular children’s needs to benefit them. This is done by differentiating between the principle behind a rule and the application/consequences of the rule. Yum! 1.2. The principle of utility in rule-utilitarianism is to follow those rules which will result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Act utilitarianism: The sole act that will be/was performed. Subscribe our newsletter to stay updated. Instead, they believe in moral actions that can be justified based on how they contribute to human beings in a positive way. Answer Save. In spite of this paradox, rule utilitarianism possesses its own appeal, and its focus on moral rules can sound quite plausible. Con: It's unrealistic to apply a strictly rational analysis to human beings. 3. Rule Utilitarianism Pros & Cons Return to "Rule Utilitarianism: Pros & Cons" Utilitarianism is a consequential moral theory, which means that the question of any action being morally right or wrong depends on the good or bad effects it produces. Advantages. Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the … Existence of exceptions doesn’t mean that act utilitarianism works better in these cases; it simply implies that in these cases, having a moral code does not maximize utility or having these exceptions as a rule in turn maximizes utility. The pros and cons of utilitarianism Posted on 22/01/2011 by Peter Wicks Utilitarianism is a branch of moral philosophy according to which the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its usefulness in maximising some measure of “utility” summed over all sentient beings. The goal of utilitarianism is to bring about the greatest possible good for the greatest number of people, which is a far more challenging calculation than initially meets the eye. Pro: it takes into account the wishes of the people, and the majority of them at that. Time-consuming and difficult Proponents believe that morality can make life better when the amount of good things is increased and bad things are decreased. Rule Utilitarianism Pros & Cons Return to "Rule Utilitarianism: Pros & Cons" Utilitarianism is a consequential moral theory, which means that the question of any action being morally right or wrong depends on the good or bad effects it produces. The rule utilitarian approach to morality can be illustrated by considering the rules of the road. what The Pros And Cons Of Act-Utilitarianism 726 Words 3 Pages On page 82 of MP, Barcalow describes Act-Utilitarianism as “only the act that will, under the circumstances, produce the greatest increase in total well-being (or the smallest decrease in total well-being) is morally right.” In such common situations, having a moral code that states what morally maximizes utility removes the danger of unwanted actions due to poor discretionary powers of people unless these can be assured, which is never definite. To avoid this collapse into act utilitarianism, the moral code propagated by rule utilitarianism should not only identify conditions of exception accurately within its rules but should also have a reasonable amount of flexibility in them- just enough to explain the complexities in a society and while not generalize too much to not remain a rule. Although it has its flaws, the theory of rule utilitarianism cannot be completely abandoned. For example, rule utilitarianism will prohibit punishing innocent people only because the rule that permits this would lead to worse results overall than a rule not permitting it.
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