A Utilitarian's Moral Solution

According to utilitarianism, an action should be judged not on the motive of the person committing it, but on whether its outcomes result in the greatest amount of benefit or happiness over harm. Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism, which is an umbrella term for a group of theories that propose that moral acts are those that produce good consequences. Decisions based on utilitarian reasoning are common in society. Have you ever made a personal decision by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of a particular choice or been in a group in which the decision was based on what the majority wanted?

Utilitarianism is an important theory because it has many practical applications. Policymakers often rely on utilitarian principles to make important decisions that affect a great number of people. The goal is to maximize overall happiness for as many people involved as possible. There are also, however, critics of utilitarianism who cite the difficulty in judging what is best for the greatest number of people and how difficult it can be to assign values to happiness for interested parties.

For this Discussion, you practice your understanding of utilitarianism by applying its principles to a situation that you select from several case examples.

Note: You take the perspective of a utilitarian to complete this assignment even if your personal perspective does not agree with the utilitarian perspective.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review Chapter 4 in the course text and the article "Calculating Consequences: The Utilitarian Approach to Ethics," focusing on the tenets of utilitarianism and its strengths and weaknesses.

For this Discussion, your Instructor will either assign groups to threads or direct you to choose one thread from the choices listed this week. If you are directed to choose a thread on your own, follow these instructions: Each thread is limited to a maximum number of students based on class size. A thread will close if the limit is reached. If a thread is closed to new posters, select from the open threads. You will post both your initial post and your response post in the same thread.

Thread 3:
The sheriff in a small town in Texas is guarding the courthouse against a mob that is about to storm it by force to capture a prisoner who is suspected of committing a brutal rape and murder. If the mob is frustrated, many people may be killed in the ensuing riot. However, if the mob gets to the suspect, they will kill him before he is able to have a trial. What advice would the utilitarian give to the sheriff in this situation?