Answer to Question #226453 in Philosophy for Clyphandel

Question

Governments will normally use the Utilitarian principle in making decisions on how to distribute the

national cake. Discuss five (5) potential problems with the use of this principle.

Answer 1

The utilitarian principle fails to take into account the considerations for justice. For instance, particular courses of action would produce great benefits for society, but they would be clearly unjust. Essentially, happiness was the basic standard for utility and not pleasure. The principle reflects the fact that pleasures are not all of equal value, and that he took human nature into account. Furthermore, utilitarianism tends to create a black-and-white construct of morality. In utilitarian ethics, there are no considerations for the fact that something is wrong or is right. People cannot be trusted as well. If rules are eliminated and people are allowed to choose to act in the greater good, they will actually act selfishly, then try to justify their actions by claiming they were in the greater good, according to the utilitarian approach.