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Examples Of Utilitarianism

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When making decisions, it is often difficult to consider the best course of action with the surrounding circumstances. There are different thought processes that explain why actions are right or wrong; the two basic approaches are teleological, which says that the consequences of an action determine whether the action is right or wrong, and deontological, where an underlying “duty” makes the distinction. Utilitarianism is a teleological approach to moral reasoning and rationalization of basic human actions. It is a theory based on communal good, that decision is right if it creates the most good for the greatest number of people impacted by the action. With that said, utilitarianism is a plausible approach in deciding the morality of an action.
Though utilitarianism has drawbacks, it can help when making a difficult decision. It is a relatively …show more content…

Some key factors to consider with utilitarianism are the impact on those not directly impacted by the choice at hand, and the need to compare potential actions with alternatives in order to choose the best possible solution. An example that one could use to demonstrate the value of a utilitarian approach would be looking at whether opening a factory in the US would be morally just. To properly apply utilitarianism, one must identify all people affected by the decision; in this case, the different construction and factory workers in the US, people impacted by pollution and additional waste, end consumers, and shareholders. The dominant consideration in this case would be the shareholders, as the company cannot afford to undertake unprofitable projects for social benefit. Next, the positive and negative consequences must be specified and totaled. Here, the positives include more jobs, stimulating the economy, and the good produced by the quality of US made products. The negatives include pollution

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