Healthcare professionals ultimately decide who survives and passes away. In a hospital there are four individuals in dire need of a heart transplant. The first individual is a middle aged woman with two children and an unremarkable paying job. The second individual is a youthful girl who is a child prodigy when playing the piano, has the possibility to be the next Beethoven and has over a million supporters on YouTube. The third individual is an older aged man with no offspring and wife, but is a medic seeking the remedy to cancer. Lastly, the fourth individual is a baby. If you were a doctor, who would you save? John Stuart Mill would nominate the older male gentleman to receive the heart transplant. John Stuart Mill’s theory stems from the notion of Utilitarianism. Furthermore, John Stuart Mill generated the hypothesis of the Greatest Happiness Principle. The Greatest Happiness Principle asserts that an act in which the general amount of happiness heightens, is thus deliberated as an …show more content…
If I were a physician, I would choose to rescue the prodigy on the basis that she is famous and has over a million followers on YouTube. If this idolized young woman were to die, then across the globe, there would be millions of sad fans. To have over a million followers on YouTube is exceedingly difficult and shows how this young individual was able to touch the lives of many through her music. By awarding the teenage mastermind the only available heart transplant, the happiness of her followers and fans would increase as opposed to if she died. This solution exceptionally better than what John Stuart Mill would do as the researcher is not known to be loved by millions and has not yet found the cure to cancer. This inpatient has already influenced society compared to all of the other sick beings in the
The principle of utility states that actions or behaviors are right in so far as they promote happiness or pleasure, wrong if they tend to deliver despondency or torment. Mill believes that the principle of utility is the perfect way to evaluate ethics is through the individual's happiness. People who have the opportunity to chose or purse there own form of happiness usually makes really wise ethical decisions, which improves society. I agree with mill’s theory because happiness always produces good things, which would very beneficial to the
John Q. Archibald (care ethicists) is an ordinary man who works at a factory and takes care of his family. His wife Denise and young son Michael are his world. But when Michael falls seriously ill and needs an emergency heart transplant operation that cost $250,000. John can’t afford the money, but vows to take the initiative to do anything in coming up with money by selling all his personal belonging. John and Denise (wife) then goes to numerous health clinics to receive aid, but were denied because John was over qualified. As result of John not receiving any medical insurance John goes to his boss and ask for the complete insurance coverage, but was also denied because John’s boss cut John’s hours to part-time. John was devastated; he was devastated because his boss cut his hours and didn’t even let him know. As a result of John not coming up with the complete amount of the transplant the doctors will not perform the surgery. John can’t believe that his son ( Michael who John has a proper relation to the cosmos and the greater scheme of the web of life by John already living his life and wanting his son to fulfill his life. John doesn’t care about anything else other than his son fulfilling his life.) is about to die and the doctors are not taking in consideration that John has some of the money, but not all and they still can’t perform the transplant. John says, “All his life, he has tried to do the right thing.” John feels the doctors don’t treat the people as they deserve. He feels they can do a better job in letting the community know about the different health plans, they can let the public know that HMO (medical coverage) is suited to pay there doctors not to test, because it would bring the cost down. As a result of there doctors not testing; the HMO give the doctors a big bonus at the end of the year. All John would have liked was for his boss and the people at the hospital to explain the different medical care services they ha...
...f it is unrecognizable to the eye. The standard that he is referring to is the principle of utility, which is also referred to as the “greatest happiness principle.” Mill makes it clear that utilitarianism has had great impact in shaping a moral basis of principles.
In Rethinking Life and Death: The Collapse of Our Traditional Values, Peter Singer examines ethical dilemmas that confront us in the twentieth century by identifying inconsistencies between the theory and practice of ethics in medicine. With advancements in medical technology, we focus on the quality of patients’ lives. Singer believes that in this process, we have acknowledged a new set of values that conflicts with the doctrine of the sanctity of life.
Traditionally, the physician was expected to use all of their talents and training in an effort to save the life of their patient, no matter the odds. More recently, the physician’s role has been redefined to preserve the autonomy of the patient. Now physicians must give life saving care only in so far and to the degree desirous of the competent patient.
Mill made a distinction between happiness and sheer sensual pleasure. He defines happiness in terms of higher order pleasure (i.e. social enjoyments, intellectual). In his Utilitarianism (1861), Mill described this principle as follows:According to the Greatest Happiness Principle … The ultimate end, end, with reference to and for the sake of which all other things are desirable (whether we are considering our own good or that of other people), is an existence exempt as far as possible from pain, and as rich as possible enjoyments.Therefore, based on this statement, three ideas may be identified: (1) The goodness of an act may be determined by the consequences of that act. (2) Consequences are determined by the amount of happiness or unhappiness caused. (3) A "good" man is one who considers the other man's pleasure (or pain) as equally as his own.
In the medical field, there are many ethical dilemmas that a person could face. One of the major dilemmas in the medical field comes from being a doctor. While attending to a patient/ client the doctor may not know the best treatment or course of action to take because of the many options there could be. The values and beliefs of a doctor can’t interfere with the treatment of a patient/client. Their job is to be honest, benevolent, respectful, and to maintain confidentiality of the patient/client.
Teleology can be defined as the search for the end goal, or ultimate purpose of an action. In order to propose the idea that there is an “end goal” in human life, or a further purpose to life, Aristotle introduces teleology. By understanding an action, the end goal can be determined. Aristotle then brings forth the idea that life would be “fruitless” without fulfillment, and that happiness is therefore the end. Aristotle defines happiness as general well-being, or human flourishing. He arrives at this definition by determining that there must be a result , or further purpose to of actions, otherwise life would be fruitless. Aristotle states that happiness as the a chief good is meaningless, and a better definition is needed for the chief
When one initially chooses a career path, one rarely looks at all the negatives that may be associated with that choice. Most career paths have some negatives associated with the field, but few face the moral dilemmas associated with modern healthcare. Those who choose to be in the healthcare profession today are faced with moral and ethical dilemmas that would make King Solomon tear his hair out. In many cases, doctors, and sometimes nurses, are faced with life and death decisions without the benefit of knowing the patient’s, or the patient’s family’s, wishes. However, aside from those tragic times when a patient’s wishes are unknown, healthcare professionals must always put their own morals aside, and act
John Stuart Mill claims that people often misinterpret utility as the test for right and wrong. This definition of utility restricts the term and denounces its meaning to being opposed to pleasure. Mill defines utility as units of happiness caused by an action without the unhappiness caused by an action. He calls this the Greatest Happiness Principle or the Principle of Utility. Mill’s principle states that actions are right when they tend to promote happiness and are wrong when they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. Happiness is defined as intended pleasure and the absence of pain while unhappiness is defined as pain and the lack of pleasure. Therefore, Mill claims, pleasure and happiness are the only things desirable and good. Mill’s definition of utilitarianism claims that act...
C.S. Lewis’s “We Have No “Right to Happiness” presents an idea behind the thoughts of moral law and the law of the state. Lewis begins with the story of Mr. and Mrs. A, and develops his argument through this confrontation with Claire and there view points on the subject. Claire’s perspective is that you are given the lawful right to pursue happiness in any shape or form given that it is not wrong in the eyes of the law. Lewis argument goes beyond the eyes of the law, given that we have a moral duty to do the right thing in the eyes of God, which is seen as natural law. The argument is presented by Lewis to the men of his time due to the fact that Lewis believes that man will die at heart if we continue to develop into a civilization that only
The idea of justice although obvious for philosophers like Locke, Rousseau, and John Rawls, proves itself to be a labyrinthine issue for Americans; nevertheless, ones thing is clear: the people are guaranteed the ability to pursue happiness. Sometimes searching for American equity juxtaposes the American Dream to the pursuit of happiness with a paralytic justice. However, justice in all forms plays a part through the governments duty; who does the government serve and protect? Despite this, opportunity continues to play a major role in correlation to the hopes and aspirations of many Americans; what freedoms to pursue happiness would Americans receive if they were striped of their rights?
Parker, Michael. "The Best Possible Child." Journal of Medical Ethics 33.5 (2007): 279-283. Web. 1 Apr 2011. .
This principle promotes a life of more pleasure than pain by choosing actions that produce more happiness. These are conscious actions made that follow a life of utility and act in accordance with the “Greatest Happiness Principle.” Though Mill’s critics would argue that Utilitarianism is not a reasonable foundation for morality by not fulfilling a life of happiness, creating selfish or expedient people, and reducing human experience to animals, I would have to disagree. This principle promotes happiness and pleasure for all, along with aiding individuals to be less selfish, and an even slate for people of all characters. I find the “Greatest Happiness Principle” to be a relevant and altruistic foundation of morality. There is an emphasis on lives containing more pleasure than pain under the rule that one person cannot put their own happiness above others. I think a type of morality such as this would be more successful than other forms of morality because it wants every human life to be a life filled with more pleasure than pain. I see this as an appropriate foundation because it promotes good over bad, which is ultimately the function of morality as a whole. As written by Raymond Plant, “Since the principle of the individual is to try to satisfy his desires…the principle of society should be to try to advance the satisfactions of those who belong to the society…”
Happiness can be understood as the moral goal of life or can be unpredictable and is something we create from ourselves and by ourselves. The idea of happiness was known as something we nurture on our own and is a state of emotion. Completing our everyday goals will soon bring us happiness, which seems to be very important to most humans and is what makes life worth living, but this is not certain. This conception of Eudemonia was common in ancient Greece as it is currently today. Aristotle had what he thought was an ideal activity for all those who wanted to live life to the fullest, be happy, and have purpose.