Traditional Utilitarianism

Traditional Utilitarianism

Traditional utilitarianism is a philosophical philosophy founded on implications that holds that a particular behavior can be considered ethically good or evil depending on the impact it has on society. Simply placed, utilitarianism is a consequentialist metaphysical philosophy that distinguishes between good and evil. Thus, according to conventional consequentialist philosophy, the acts that are judged right are those that have the maximum or largest net effects. The actions, therefore, have the lowest net cost. Utilitarianism is a theory of ethics in which the welfare of people in a given society is said to be fine. With traditional utilitarianism, an action is supposed to be ethically good if it culminates to the greatest benefits and the lowest cost.

Ethics of Happiness

Traditional utilitarianism also refers to the ethics of happiness for the highest number of people in a given society. “Actions are considered ethical only if the results of those efforts are more than those of the same act conducted by an agent applying an alternative approach” (Mill, 2012). A moral action, therefore, ought to result in the greatest happiness of majority of the individuals. In determining a moral aspect that a person should do, the theory mentions that an individual has to achieve the best possible results. For this reasons, the actions will not only be judged from their results but also from the effect of the condition and the deeds made on the society. One has to get a clear comprehension of the present situation in the community as well as know both the direct and indirect impacts the situations have on people. One has to identify the several courses of actions that apply to the cases presented. More importantly, the individual has to define all the approaches that are relevant to the cases in the current position along with those in the future. Considerations have to be made on the direct and the indirect benefits and costs that result from the available courses of actions be stipulated. If one considers this aspect, it will assist in carrying out a cost-benefit analysis of the courses of actions that are identified. The action that has the greatest net benefit on a large number of people should be selected and implemented to determine a moral thing in the society.

Why Utilitarianism is Attractive

Utilitarianism remains to be an attractive and a favorable ethical theory to many individuals. It is widely applied in many cases such as in making the best government decision that will have the greatest positive impact on citizens. People and some institutions including business organizations also based on utilitarianism in making and implementing actions. A key reason that makes utilitarianism theory more attractive is that many individuals believe that an ethical action should be the one that results into the maximum direct as well as indirect net benefit of the people in the society. The marginal cost that comes with a decision should be the lowest value. For example, in any given business, the management will want to implement actions which only results in the highest degree of benefits to the entire business and also to the employees and produce high profits. With Utilitarianism, there is a quick way of judging an action on an ethical and moral grounds and thus making it attractive. Also, the simplicity that is attached to its nature of the theory makes this utilitarianism more attractive. It is simple to apply to different scenarios without the need of considering flexibility. It is also attractive because it provides an approach to solving problematic situations that face humans. Many individuals tend to believe that an ethical action should be the one that has the greatest direct and indirect benefits and in approaching many situations, people will always consider this to be an underlining factor (Mill, 2012). Essentially, utilitarianism theory contributes to an increased affinity for human satisfaction.

Ecological Ethics

Ecological ethics defines the ethical principle framework of the environment which states that all non-human creatures in the world deserve proper care. This ought to be the case because the non-human creatures are living things. Therefore, the environment which hosts these non-human things has to be a concern to many people, and it has to be treated with the greatest care in order to benefit both the humans and the nation-humans beings. The ecological ethics argument holds that all humans have to protect the environment and not cause harm to it as it is a fundamental value and living on the non-human things. Animals, similar to human beings have their rights, and thus humans have an obligation of protecting these rights. This is morally good as it also helps in conserving the ecosystem along with the animals that face a threat of getting extinct. Undisputedly, the rights of the non-human things have to be respected. Indeed, it is morally wrong for one to inflict pain on the living creatures as this denies them their rights.

How Utilitarianism Supports the Ecological Value

Utilitarianism values moral actions and thus, this theory alludes that actions should not concern only humans but also the non-human things. In the society, the theory justifies that the non-human living things should also be taken into consideration. Thus, ecological ethics makes a person take actions which are driven at preserving stability, integrity as well as the beauty of the biotic communities. In view of this, utilitarianism supports the ecological ethics. It requires a person to take actions which have the maximum benefits to both the human and non-human creatures and thus conserve the environment. The adverse impacts on the environment such as deforestation and pollution which have negative effects on nature are discouraged under the utilitarian rule. Again, it supports the ecological theory through outlining the relationship between the environment, the human, and non-humans for a peaceful coexistence. Through the ecological ethics, it implies that the agricultural enterprises should not raise animals for food purposes and dehumanizes them through painful facets. Utilitarian rule discourages the idea of animal testing where scientists subject the animals to painful circumstances when carrying out researches. Animal testing denies animals their rights. Inflicting pain on the animals is unethical, and all humans have to be sensitive to the environment and the non-humans. The duty of all humans is to ensure that the animals are safe and the environment in which they live in is also clean and safe.

Conclusion

The idea of whether an action is morally right or wrong depends on its effects. An action could produce good or bad net effects. According to utilitarian theory, the purpose of morality in life is to increase the number of good things like happiness and lower the bad things such as pain. The act of utilitarian alludes that, in deciding what to do, one has to perform the action that creates the greatest net utility and thus produce the best overall results and well-being of the greatest number to the society. Decisions that are made in life have to be guided by utilitarianism rule for the betterment of every person in the society.

Reference

Mill, John Stuart. (2012). Utilitarianism. Dover Publications.