other members to sacrifice his or her life to the angry gods who . This paper goes in depth with discussions about all three theories, including advantages and disadvantages. Every society has independent standards of ethic within their society and these standards are culture-bound. This is in contrast to other moral theories, such as Deontology, which do not always provide a clear answer. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Philosophers express this with greater precision: An action is morally right if and only if it does not violate the set of rules of behaviour whose general acceptance in the community would have the best consequences--that is, at least as good as any rival set of rules or no rules at all. (ed.) While the two problems above are serious issues with consequentialism as a workable moral system, the biggest problem is with the understanding of how consequences benefit either the individual or the society. Here, we explore some of the pros and cons of using consequentialist methodology to guide our ethical decision-making processes in the kidney . 3. Consequentialism is a theory that says whether something is good or bad depends on its outcomes. Utilitarianism is less complicated to understand (compared to other moral theories) because it consists of doing whatever produces the best consequences (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Virtue Ethics). While the theory of Utilitarianism might help us more easily reach moral conclusions than what other theories do, and while it emphasizes the neutrality of moral agents, it does nonetheless have a tendency to alienate us from those we are closest to, and might require us to perform actions that, under other moral theories, are considered morally problematic. A particular action may be good for a business but not good for society or ones health. Humanity has questioned this concept of ethics and good for as long as it has survived, as it deals with real-life issues such as what is morally right and wrong? and how do people ought to act? Such ethical dilemmas can be found in peoples everyday lives, and although appears to be a straightforward question, there is much debate over which standard of behavior people should abide to when responding to certain situations, and determining what is morally right or wrong. Benthams views are most closely aligned withact utilitarianism. %PDF-1.3 3. Rule utilitarianism is a belief in which, an action is morally right, as long as it justified in accordance to a particular law. My primary aim is to examine the validity of some of the claims made by consequentialists themselves on behalf of their own standpoint. Non Consequentialist moral theories or Deontological theories, consider not the consequences of an action but whether they fulfill a duty. Wooldridge 79. Promotes the greatest happiness for the most significant number of people. A consequentialist, for example, might permit theft if it provides benefits to an actor, but it is very difficult to determine if the long-term costs to the . Consequentialism has its types to evaluate . This minority does not harm anyone else in the society, nor does it do anything particularly good either. In accepting the job, George prevents someone else who might indirectly harm others by promoting chemical and biological warfare from getting the job. It's hard to measure and compare the 'goodness' of those consequences. What are the disadvantages of consequentialism? Consequentialism is a type of teleological theory -- consequentialist theories suggest that the moral value, the moral rightness or wrongness of an act, is entirely a function of the consequences, or the results of that act. Even if nobody would be hurt, our speeding laws mean less people are harmed overall. I maintain that virtue ethics is superior to both deontology and consequentialism. Another limitation that comes to mind when working with ethical decision making models is the level of experience and . The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy gives a plain and simple definition of consequentialism: Of all the things a person might do at any given moment, the morally right action is the one with the best overall consequences. The disadvantage of this theory is that it makes it not possible . stream But if telling a lie would help save a person's life, consequentialism says it's the right thing to do. Conclusion. Therefore, the content of any specific moral action has no meaning. From a hedonist's point of view Consequentialism is based on two principles: It gives us this guidance when faced with a moral dilemma: And it gives this general guidance on how to live: Different forms of consequentialism differ over what the good thing is that should be maximised. Consequentialism is based on two principles: 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 This is the argument between moral principlists [1], and moral particularists. "useRatesEcommerce": false Mill viewed the greatest happiness principle as the cornerstone of morals, he, On the other hand, Utilitarianism, a consequentialist theory, stems from the idea that every morally correct action will produce the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people. (I must admit to some scepticism over whether there are any concepts of this kind; why should we not use a difference in paradigms as a criterion of concept discrimination? Provide a clear and easy-to-understand guidelines. }N~ V6W|YWUr'wYM$/O~\NuQ|Y.wEZZoxsp^^0O}^2V2Q+D:Wos&YoP,Y?g,G@-~WUCu}vUauUjHma>u"^i^Ok'+o.Ir~(&o:Z@,O}[.Ti7TZ(G;nFRh O_B~D]`w$B*@{Gdl1 1:Dd9>1_X=l{tH2G,| g=c|2THA1BNp\X|G8Tszw"|goQ~O04g2K1gFP6-#]wmZ;(~jeysk*{tFBWa* ip$ W9r$g\q|+ed:WHyz3;hXi4lZ[#Lwb^%sK'L:Kj==_je]mW[,-$wY]1b3u? 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. In this case, his action will lead to good consequences, albeit indirectly. An extreme and primitive example, Relating this to the case of George, we see that George needs to assess the situation from a neutral perspective. Suppose George accepts the job because he is motivated to end chemical and biological warfare, or that his reason for taking the job is to help support his family. As a form of ethical consequentialism, utilitarianism holds that the right action is the one that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people. x[moH,HNH'![XtX$%Je>1SI\;^IE?OIOog8%? . This ignores the way in which that happiness is shared out and so would seem to approve of acts that make most people happy, and a few people very unhappy, or that make a few people ecstatically happy and leave the majority at best neutral. The other concern people express is the tendency of consequentialism to use ends justify the means logic. But this seems wrong, mainly because removing the minority from society would involve what many people take to be morally evil actions, which is another problem with Utilitarianism. This basic form of consequentialism holds an action as ethical if and only if it produces more beneficial/pleasure-causing outcomes than negative/pain-causing ones. Early writers on this theory were Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, a modern writer is Peter Singer. Consequentialism can Consequentialism. Consequentialism is based more around the consequence and final result of the actions. So even if George does not directly or indirectly save anyone while performing his duties, he will already have maximized the consequences by preventing someone who would do great harm from getting the job. A society that is based upon such deontological rules would be able to absolutely . If more happiness is produced by not following Utilitarianism, is that what we should do? If ones action leads to good, or happy, consequences, then that action is morally permissible. What are the benefits of Utilitarianism? Any ethical theory has a form, or rule of action, and content, the specific nature of that action. For example, if you think that the whole point of morality is (a) to spread happiness and relieve suffering, or . Wooldridge79, status page at https://status.libretexts.org. Wooldridge) is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Noah Levin (NGE Far Press) . The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. 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. Someone who is ethical focuses on the well being of others rather than egotistical or self-serving actions. The most famous form of consequentialist ethics is utilitarianism which was first proposed by Jeremy Bentham and then furthered by John Stuart Mill in the 19th century. Moore, known as "ideal . have refused rain on the thirsty people. Although there are references to this idea in the works of ancient . This thought experiment is useful in considering the strengths and weaknesses of Utilitarianism. Virtue ethics, on the other hand, is considered more of a normative ethical theory. What are the strengths and weaknesses of consequentialism? Removing the minority might involve genocide or mass deportations, both of which seem morally problematic. Abstract. Overall, the theory of Utilitarianism, while perhaps initially appealing, seems to have some serious flaws. How did you use the result to determine who walked fastest and slowest? For a summary of consequentialist ethics check out the videos below: Our next stop in our tour of the ethical lay of the land is utilitarianism. Saying that we should focus on the long-term consequences of an action when the implications of the short-term consequences are troubling seems to be problematic. Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its consequences are. I should also point out here that while Utilitarians will consider everyone equally, this does not mean that they will treat everyone equally. 497 - 516. ), Morality and Moral Reasoning (London, 1971) and Williams, Problems of the Self (Cambridge University Press, 1973). On his desk he found two very compelling arguments about the potential development of a church on private property. 3 (04 1979), 221239CrossRefGoogle Scholar, maintains that utilitarianism offends the very idea of morality itself on the ground that it counsels systematic hypocrisythe utilitarian will be required to behave in ways which he is also required to condemn in others. It is the only moral framework that can be used to justify military force or war. One problem with the theory is that it can be hard to measure different benefits to decide which one is morally preferable. But in the long run, it might lead to bad consequences. This is a means justifies the end view of things. It was a good Act Utilitarianism is a belief in which, an individuals actions are moral as long as the actions produce the greatest outcome possible. The lack of respect for the integrity of the individual is raised by Bernard Williams' famous 'Jim and the . 31 (1965)Google Scholar, reprinted in Williams B., Problems of the Self (Cambridge University Press, 1973), 166186; and D. Z. Phillips and H. S. Price, Remorse without Repudiation, Analysis 28 (1967). Encourages individual responsibility and accountability. Focuses on the well being of others rather than egotistical or self-serving actions here, we explore some of claims... Is in contrast to other moral theories, consider not the consequences of an action ethical. By not following Utilitarianism, is considered more of a normative ethical theory that judges whether or not something right! In contrast to other moral theories or Deontological theories, including advantages and disadvantages examine the of. 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