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    Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism: Rationality and Practicality Problem With Motive

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    Pankaj Kumar
    The document summarizes key strengths and weaknesses of the utilitarian ethical theory. Some strengths are that it provides a rational and practical approach based on maximizing happiness or pleasure. It also takes into account future generations. However, weaknesses include problems defining and motivating the concept of happiness, and that it could justify violating rights and integrity to achieve the greatest good. It may also fail to consider justice and fairness in some scenarios.

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    Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism: Rationality and Practicality Problem With Motive

    Uploaded by

    Pankaj Kumar
    213 views2 pages
    The document summarizes key strengths and weaknesses of the utilitarian ethical theory. Some strengths are that it provides a rational and practical approach based on maximizing happiness or pleasure. It also takes into account future generations. However, weaknesses include problems defining and motivating the concept of happiness, and that it could justify violating rights and integrity to achieve the greatest good. It may also fail to consider justice and fairness in some scenarios.

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    The document summarizes key strengths and weaknesses of the utilitarian ethical theory. Some strengths are that it provides a rational and practical approach based on maximizing happiness or pleasure. It also takes into account future generations. However, weaknesses include problems defining and motivating the concept of happiness, and that it could justify violating rights and integrity to achieve the greatest good. It may also fail to consider justice and fairness in some scenarios.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    213 views2 pages

    Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism: Rationality and Practicality Problem With Motive

    Uploaded by

    Pankaj Kumar
    The document summarizes key strengths and weaknesses of the utilitarian ethical theory. Some strengths are that it provides a rational and practical approach based on maximizing happiness or pleasure. It also takes into account future generations. However, weaknesses include problems defining and motivating the concept of happiness, and that it could justify violating rights and integrity to achieve the greatest good. It may also fail to consider justice and fairness in some scenarios.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
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    PushMe Press Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism

    Strengths and Weaknesses of


    Utilitarianism
    A table on the strengths and weaknesses of Utilitarianism

    Rationality And Practicality Problem With Motive


    Utilitarian ethics rests on a rational calculation of There are two difficulties in answering the question,
    numbers of people whose pleasure or happiness is “why should I maximise pleasure or happiness?”
    maximised. There is a clarity and simplicity to this.

    “By sticking firmly to the Principle of Utility as the 1. The difficulty defining the idea of pleasure or
    only standard for judging right and wrong, it avoids happiness. “Bentham and Mill don’t notice the
    all danger of incorporating into moral theory difficulty of the concept of “pleasure”…a fatal
    prejudices, feelings and intuitions with no rational objection at the outset”. Anscombe (1958:2)
    basis.” 2. The difficulty in making me think of the interests
    (happiness) of others. Mill tries to bring
    James Rachels (2007:115) “sympathy” in as a kind of virtue or psychological
    This principle of rational calculation is also practical. motive, but it’s not convincing.
    For example, the 1967 Abortion Act focuses on the
    happiness of mother and potential happiness of the “The principle of the greatest happiness, fine though
    child (but not fathers!). The mother’s mental and it is as an ideal, does not identify a motive.”
    physical health, the child’s disability and whether it’s
    Scruton, A Short History of Moral Philosophy p 239
    wanted are all added to the utility calculation.

    Equality Is Central Integrity Is Lost


    Bentham wrote “everyone is to count as one, and no- Bernard Williams’ famous example has Jim arrive as a
    one as more than one”. This radical idea implies that guest, to be invited to shoot one Indian in order to save
    everyone has equal weight in the utility calculation, 19. He argues that to be a utilitarian is to deny me
    although the issue of rights remains a problem. moral integrity: there are some things I cannot do,
    Suppose, on an equal vote, you all vote for my dismissal because of my moral feelings about it.
    (or even death) in line with maximising general
    happiness?
    “Our relation to the world is partly given by moral
    feelings; to regard those feelings as happening
    “The utilitarian emphasis on impartiality must be a outside our moral self is to lose our identity”.
    part of any defensible moral theory.”
    Williams, Utilitarianism For and Against p 104
    Rachels (2006:114)

    For an interesting treatment of whether utilitarianism


    can handle the issue of animal rights, see Rachels
    (2006: 96-100).

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    PushMe Press Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism

    Takes Account Of The Future Justice Is Flouted


    Issues of climate change, potential future wars and Louis Pojman asks us to imagine a utilitarian physician
    famines all suggest we need an ethical theory that who has five patients needing different organs. A
    takes into account those yet unborn. healthy bachelor comes in needing immunisation and
    “you judge he would make a perfect sacrifice for your
    five patients..this cavalier attitude to justice offends
    “Utilitarians seen to provide a very strong us.” (2006:118)
    philosophical justification for the notion that we
    “Utilitarianism is at odds with the idea that people
    have obligations to future generations..it does not
    have rights that may not be trampled on merely
    matter that we cannot identify these people..we
    because one anticipates good results.”
    have an obligation to leave as good a world as we
    can.” Rachels (2006:108)

    Pojman (2006:123, 125)


    Arthur Koestler reminds us how in Stalin’s Russia ,
    torture, confession and execution were routinely used
    to serve “the general good.”
    NB Rule-utilitarians like Mill try to overcome this
    problem by enshrining rights as rules of justice serving
    total utility.

    https://rs.pushmepress.com/AS-level/utilitarianism Page 2! of 2!

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