Limitations of Utilitarianism Essay (Critical Writing)

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

People’s highest moral actions are reflected in their deeds, and utilitarianism is one division of philosophy that tries to explain why people select certain actions over other and what should be done for the best outcome for all. Utilitarianism states that people must focus on the greater good for all people and maximize happiness in the process.

The most basic aspect is the utilization of the situation in such a way that everyone does not suffer and get the most out of actions of actors. The end results or consequences of actions is what matters, so people should make their selections very carefully. One of the most important criteria of utilitarianism is the balance between happiness and unhappiness.

If a certain action will bring less happiness, especially to the greater amount of people, then such action should be avoided at all costs. Utilitarianism bases itself on ethics and moral principles of highest order and even takes into consideration animals and the way people act towards them. There are many individuals who support this division of philosophy because it does not base itself on religion or any other power except a person, humanity and the greater good for people and other animals.

This is an important division because there are many instances where people are unnecessarily cruel to people and animals and so, utilitarians believe that it is wrong to bring pain to any living creature that can feel pain and suffer in the process. The highest ethical criteria define people’s actions and even though the situation matters and different conditions can be present, the end result stays the same and bases itself on most happiness.

In a moral dilemma of a trolley coming down the tracks without breaks, a person is presented with the choice to flip the switch and kill either five people or one. Most, would choose to flip the switch, so that one person is killed.

The reasoning is that the greater good would be to kill one person, as opposed to five because the happiness of five people is much greater than that of one. But at the same time, it is possible to speculate that one person might have a number of relatives or children that depend on them, so the greater happiness would be to kill five people because they are all single.

In case morality is taken into question, it can be asked whether one person has greater morality than that of other five. Maybe, it is the kindest person in the world and the good deeds that they have done and will do are going to be much greater than of the other five individuals. This situation presents a clear difficulty in making the right decision and the consequences are unknown, as there is no real way to predict and utilize knowledge, to figure out which choice is best.

This is one of the limitations of utilitarianism, as some situations are much harder to decide on. A far out possibility, would be for a person to rely on chance and start flipping the switch chaotically, so that the decision is made in a random order. But, this would not be according to the principle of the greater good, as the person does not make a conscious selection. Either way, it is better to strive towards more happiness than less.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2018, December 19). Limitations of Utilitarianism. https://ivypanda.com/essays/utilitarianism-4/

Work Cited

"Limitations of Utilitarianism." IvyPanda, 19 Dec. 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/utilitarianism-4/.

References

IvyPanda. (2018) 'Limitations of Utilitarianism'. 19 December.

References

IvyPanda. 2018. "Limitations of Utilitarianism." December 19, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/utilitarianism-4/.

1. IvyPanda. "Limitations of Utilitarianism." December 19, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/utilitarianism-4/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Limitations of Utilitarianism." December 19, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/utilitarianism-4/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1