Please reply on these two posts for discussion ASAP.
1. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy," utilitarianism is generally held to be the view that the morally right action is the action that produces the most good."
In this scenario I do not think I would be able to frame the homeless person because he is as innocent as the rest of the people that live in my town. Also I do not think it is fair that he has to pay for the mistakes of another person, the murderer is the only one that should be imprisoned. The fact that he is homeless and has no family, no friends, no job and no connections doesn't make him less of a human than everybody else. Either way, at the end of the day, someone innocent is dying.
Therefore, my position makes me an egoist, which is the opposite of a utilitarian. This is because I am thinking about just the good of one person and not maximizing the overall good. I do not feel I have the right to choose who lives and who dies according to their lifestyle. I am sure that if any person put himself in that position, he would not want to be killed simply because of being homeless. As the sheriff my job is to be an example of fairness, justice and honesty. If today, I frame a homeless person to cover someone else's murder I would be going against that and am no better than the murderer.
2. Utilitarism
The definition of utilitarism in ethics is the theory that the rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by it's usefulness in bringing about the most happiness of all those affected by it.(freedictionary.com).
In the scenario given, I as the sheriff would not be able to frame the homeless man. This man is innocent and as a member of law enforcement I cannot falsely accuse. This goes against my morals and pledges of my commitment to my career and the public I serve.
Therefore, I am not an utilitarian in this situation. I would need to choose between right and wrong rather than to try to satisfy the greatest number of people. I would reassure the community that strong efforts would be used to locate and convict the murderer. I would encourage peace and cooperation in the meantime. I would need to maintain safety for my community and need to involve all law enforcement and possibly the military to keep the community safe until justice is served.