Moral Theory of Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is a philosophical theory that explains whether an act is right or wrong depending on its consequences. An action is morally right if gives happiness and pleasure to the highest number of people. According to this theory, action or inaction with negative effects outweighing the positive consequences is viewed as morally wrong (Duignan and Henry, 2021). Additionally, an act or inaction with positive consequences is deemed morally right. Utilitarianism moral theory is explained based on whether an action or inaction brings happiness or unhappiness. It argues that every person should focus on their own happiness regardless of whether it causes pain to others. Therefore, utilitarianism should be gaged based on its consequences.
Hedonic Conception of Utility
A hedonic utility explains the number of units of pleasure an action might cause without the pain caused by that act. Hedonists describe happiness as a balance between pleasure and pain. Bentham argues that a hedonic calculus is possible because the units of pleasure and pain can be summed up for the affected individuals at the current time or in the future (Duignan and Henry, 2021). The balance can be taken as the overall good or evil consequence of an action. Therefore, it is necessary for utilitarianism to compare values of the consequences of actions.
Actual and Expected Utility
The actual utility is based on evaluating the moral rightfulness and wrongness of the exact consequence of an action. Expected utility involves evaluating the right or wrong result from the foreseeable consequences of an action. Actual and expected utility is explained by act and rule utilitarianism where act utilitarianism focuses on a person’s action which should be evaluated using the principle of utility. This implies that the action producing the greatest utility is the morally right one. Rule utilitarianism focuses on different actions which can result in good or bad results. Therefore, expected utility came to defend the impracticality objection of actual utilitarianism.
Moral Theory of Kantianism
Kantianism theory is a philosophical aspect arguing that rational human beings have dignity and deserve respect. Kant rejected the utilitarian idea that an action is right depending on whether the outcome is fruitful (Richardson, 2018). He claims that the motive behind an action determines the moral value and not the consequence. Therefore, for beings to live ethically, they should not treat other human beings as a means to achieve some goals or reach a greater end. They should be rational and live with a purpose. For example, eating is alright to satiate hunger but stealing the food is wrong because it offends the owner.
Treating Person’s as a Means
Treating a person as means is morally wrong. It indicates that one fails to abide by a particular moral norm. Treating another person as an end in themselves shows that a person is using another person without moral approval and is subject to ethical criticism. Philosopher Kant argues that treating another person as an end means may be morally impermissible and is acting wrongly. People in daily lives talk of being used by others as an end means to benefit then disappear.
Example
Both Kantianism and Utilitarianism can determine whether a person’s action is right or wrong. Kantianism argues that beings should focus on an intention of action because human life is more valuable and they are the bearers of rational life. For utilitarianism, actions with the highest level of pleasure and happiness are morally right. For example, my parents believed that pursuing my degree in medicine would be the best career for me because of the savings of other people by treating. To them, it should not only be for enjoyment but a rational career. On the other side, I believed that studying philosophy would be the best which would produce more happiness for my life. Choosing between my happiness and that of my parents was a challenge.
Reference
Torpman, O. Mid-Libertarianism and the Utilitarian Proviso. J Value Inquiry (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10790-021-09850-w
Richardson, G. (2018). Adam Smith in Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy (Doctoral dissertation).
Kerstein, S., “Treating Persons as Means”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/persons-means/>
Duignan, B. and West, Henry R. (2021, March 2). utilitarianism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/utilitarianism-philosophy
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