Examples Of Utilitarianism In The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas

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In The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, Ursula Le Guin writes about a utopian-like city called Omelas. The residents of the city are very happy as they enjoy the festivities. However, their happiness is only made possible through the oppression of one innocent child. This child is kept in a small basement closet and is severely neglected. The nude isolated child is very weak and malnourished as he is only fed enough to stay alive. The child is very filthy as well as he/she has no choice but to sit around in its own feces. The townspeople are well aware of the tragic conditions that the child must endure. They are taught that their town must sacrifice this one child in order to benefit the rest of society.
The residents of Omelas have just three …show more content…

The first one that I will address, utilitarianism, strongly advocates for the first option, which is to accept the situation by continuing to live in Omelas. The basic principle of utilitarianism is that an action is morally right if it brings more happiness than pain and misery for the greatest number of people. The theory requires us to weigh the net benefits and harms of our potential options and choose the one that promotes the most pleasure. It also requires us to be impartial in our decision-making because one person’s happiness and suffering is equal to …show more content…

They would also not condone the third option of walking away from Omelas. Even though this option doesn’t condone the use of people as a means to an end, it still does nothing to stop it and is thus, not universal and reversible. For example, staying mute while observing a fellow peer get bullied is almost as bad as laughing at them. By choosing to walk away, it’s implied that those people have accepted that if they needed help, it’s acceptable for others to choose to ignore their pleas for help. The only option that meets the guidelines of morality is the second option because it is universal and reversible and attempts to put an end to the use of people as a means to an

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