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The majority of people are brought up to understand that killing, stealing, and lying is morally wrong. However, utilitarians believe that an action is right if it is for the greater good, if the action brings about the least amount of pain and greatest amount of pleasure for everyone concerned. ... In this instance it is obvious that the maximum amount of pleasure was gained from the situation, and that perhaps killing the innocent person was the right thing to do, but where does utilitarianism begin to become harder to justify? ...
One of the most common criticisms of utilitarianism is that it is contrary to our moral intuitions, that for most it would not be an instant reaction to a problem. ... Utilitarianism would of course say to kill the man for the greater good, however as most people believe killing to be morally wrong would it be possible to look past the innocent life being taken so as to further their own and others lives. ... The problem is that sometimes we can foresee consequences of other people’s actions that are taken in response to our own acts. ...
Utilitarianism has some connections with economics and it is sometimes used by them to explain the maximisation of wealth saying that it is the same as maximising welfare. ... This is a common criticism of utilitarianism, that it promotes inequality so as to maximise utility. ...
Moral hedonism says that people should strive to get pleasure and avoid pain. ...
Psychological hedonism says that it is part of being a human being to have the need for pleasure. It says that there is a "fundamental law of human psychology: that people always choose what they think will bring them the most pleasure and the least pain. ... However there is a massive difference between lying to make someone happy and lying to protect someone from punishment. ...
Robin Hood is a children’s classic that uses aspects of utilitarianism, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. ... Even lying to protect someone’s feelings what if they grow up to think that this is the right way to act, that the truth should only be told if it will make the person happy or if it will make someone else happy by you telling them it.
Approximate Word count = 1919
Approximate Pages = 7.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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