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Utilitarianism is a concept of morality that promotes actions that bring pleasure or happiness and opposes deeds that cause harm or unhappiness. Rachels and Rachels (2015) present a detailed discussion of this theory in chapter eight of their book, “The Elements of Moral Philosophy”. The chapter is entitled “The Debate Over Utilitarianism” (Rachels & Rachels, 2015, p. 111). The authors commence their arguments by highlighting three premises that summarize utilitarianism. First, an action’s morality relies solely on its consequences, and nothing else matters. Second, these repercussions only matter when they entail lesser or greater happiness for people. Third, in the evaluation of consequences, each person’s happiness receives “equal consideration” (Rachels & Rachels, 2015, p. 111). While the writers offer objections to utilitarianism, they conclude that the concept has more benefits to society compared to the use of common sense in terms of morality.
The authors outline two major objections to the theory of utilitarianism. First, they reject the idea that an action should be solely dependent on whether its consequences bring happiness (Rachels & Rachels, 2015, p. 113). For instance, the writers refer to an example of a peeping Tom spying on a lady through her bedroom window and secretly taking pictures of her undressed (Rachels & Rachels, 2015, p. 113). In such as situation, the only outcome of Tom’s action appears to bring him more happiness. According to Utilitarianism, Tom’s action can be justified because it is pleasurable to him. Second, Rachels and Rachels (2015) oppose the proposition that individuals should be equally concerned for everyone. The authors state that this utilitarian principle places too much demand on people and disrupts their relationships (Rachels & Rachels, 2015, p. 116). Even if the premises provided by Rachels and Rachels (2015) are true, they do not provide enough support for the conclusion because an action’s outcomes are not confined to only bringing happiness or unhappiness. Moreover, morality should be a product of both utilitarianism and the use of common sense.
On closer inspection, the claim that people should not be equally concerned for everyone is false because it promotes self-centeredness. In a world where millions of people facing life-threatening problems such as hunger, acts of terrorism, and contagious diseases, it would be misleading to urge individuals to only care for themselves and their significant others. Moreover, cancer patients are at a higher risk of suffering from emotional distress due to the increased procedural requirements and financial drain.
Reference
Rachels, S., & Rachels, J. (2015). The elements of moral philosophy (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
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