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A Dilemma and My Solution Based On Utilitarianism Ethical Model

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A Dilemma and My Solution Based On Utilitarianism Ethical Model
(Assignment # 1)

Prepared by : Efren A.
Course-Section : GNED212-091
Instructor : Mr. Paul B.
Class : Friday Afternoons

Part 1: Utilitarianism Ethical Model

Many people from all walks of life have trouble making decisions in their everyday lives, especially on tough or critical situations that may even involve life and death considerations. To address this issue, there are four ethical models and four ethical principles developed as guidance in making decisions in an ethical way. One of the four ethical models is the Utilitarianism. This model is based on the principle that the best decision is the one that gives benefits to most or causes harm to …show more content…

So long as a course of action produces maximum benefits for everyone, utilitarianism does not care whether the benefits are produced by lies, manipulation, or coercion (Manuel Velasquez, 1989).

Utilitarianism ethics has two types. One is act utilitarianism and the other is rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism conforms to the description of utilitarianism mentioned above while rule utilitarianism considers also the adherence to the law and fairness of the decision. A rule utilitarian seeks to benefit the most people but through the fairest and most just means available. Therefore, added benefits of rule utilitarianism are that it values justice and includes beneficence at the same time (Rainbow). However, utilitarianism (both act and rule) has numerous flaws like in all other theories. First, there is uncertainty as to the outcome which is the basis of the decision. Outcomes maybe inferred from life experiences or from logical evaluations but no one can be certain of the actual outcome in the future. Wrong prediction of the outcomes resulting to less benefit or more harm, makes the utilitarian decision as unethical. Second, predicted outcomes of different nature like money (tangible) against happiness (intangible) are not really comparable, making a quantified advantage of the other is debatable. Last but not the least, there

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