preview

Utilitarian Theory Of Moral Status

Good Essays

In this paper, I intend to show that utilitarian theory of moral status is much more preferable than deontological approach. I will demonstrate this idea by using by using the concept of moral laws by Immanuel Kant and John Mill along with Peter Singer’s Speciesism and Moral Status. Moral status is a term that deals with who and what is more valuable, or have higher quality, in which they should be treated specially; and both deontological and utilitarian aspect of moral status is different from one and another. According to Kant, in deontological point of view, “act in regard to every rational being (yourself and others) that he may at the same time count in your maxim as an end in himself, is thus basically the same as the principle: …show more content…

Utilitarian believes that actions are always good as long as if the consequences let individuals have a higher level of happiness disregarding the objects behind those actions. He also implies that if a being is not capable of enjoying happiness nor experiencing suffering that it should not be considered as moral beings. Thus, all animals are equal in Mill’s point of view.
The deontological approach of moral status implies that only rational beings, who has the cognitive ability, should be respected, which it often rebuttal the perspective of utilitarian doctrine. This approach judge morality and motivations behind every action because it is absolutely impractical because experiences and actions are connected with one and another. Kantian approach believes that all human beings are superior to all other species because we have cognitive ability or self-conscious ability. Nonhuman animals are not capable of making nor responding to moral decisions but a human has moral capabilities because “rational being must so act as if he were through the maxim always a legislating member in the universal kingdom of ends” (Kant, 43). Kant is basically addressing that human beings are self-legislative and they are governed by moral rules. Only human beings are qualified to make moral claims and judgments, which make human beings intellectual.

Get Access