Quote:
Originally Posted by PKFFW
Are you saying that to determine if something is wrong or not your look at the consequences of the action?
So for example, if you could determine with certainty that there would be no adverse consequences to yourself if you murdered someone in cold blood then this lack of consequences would mean that committing the murder is not wrong?
I'm also not sure what you mean by "you look at the utility and try to maximise it".
Are you sugessting that if you can maximise the utility(benefit??) of your actions then this negates the wrongness of those actions?
So in this example if the person you were murdering had something you could use and really wanted, and murdering him would give you that thing therefore maximising the utility of the murder, then this makes the murder ok?
I can't help but think that I am have totally missed your point here. Either that or we have diametrically opposed definitions of wrong and right.
Cheers,
PKFFW
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In classical Utilitarian theory, utility is defined as that which brings the greatest happiness to the greatest number. It is essential to consider the well-being of everyone potentially affected by the proposed action.
Your murder example would not meet with the approval of a utilitarian. Firstly, murder causes immense distress to the victim's family and friends. Secondly, it causes fear and unease in wider society and people value security very highly. Thirdly, most later versions of utilitarianism also value individual autonomy which, of course, is is permanently violated by murder. (I am thinking of the theories of R M Hare, Peter Singer and Jonathan Glover).
I'm not particularly interested in defending the theory. However, there are troublesome cases where killing
may be the right thing to do. The classic example is the trolley problem.
A madman has tied five people to a railway line. There is a runaway trolley hurtling towards them. The madman has also tied another person to an adjacent line. You are standing beside the points. You have a choice.
1. Do nothing. Five people die. But you didn't kill them. You didn't save them either.
2. Switch the point. One person dies. Five are saved. But you have killed a person and saved five lives.
Take your pick.