Discussion: Week 7

One of the problems with utilitarianism is the justice objection which states that sacrificing of innocent people for the benefit of the greatest number of people would be advocated by the utilitarian philosophy. If you were in a situation where you had to choose between sacrificing someone close to you, for instance, knowing your actions would lead to your multi-talented best friend losing his/her job at which they are excellent, because it would save a dozen other jobs of people who desperately need to be employed and who have no other way to support themselves, what would you do? Answer the question and explain your choice by following Directions and Discussion Guidelines.

Discussion: Week 7 Answer 

Utilitarianism – both rule utilitarian and act utilitarian – has weaknesses because it is based on the concept of the “greatest happiness for the many” principle. This means that the majority is given favor and thus the needs and the consequences for the minorities are rarely considered. In this case, the American law is based on rule utilitarianism because democracy favors the benefit of the many, thus, making the rule of the law somehow sacrifice the needs of the minority. This weakness is identified as the main flaw of utilitarianism which can weaken its utility and its integrity in providing ethical considerations in society.