Utilitarianism Case Study

Exam 2
Question 1:
Utilitarianism is examining all of the possible consequences of a scenario or event and then selecting the action that will lead to a more positive outcome. On the other hand, deontologist thinking is when a person follows their moral instincts regardless of the possible consequences. An example could be that I am on my way to Haiti, to go on a mission trip. As I am claiming my luggage, a man comes up to me and tells me that if I do not give him all of my luggage, including my carryon, which contains my ID, all of my money, and even my social security, he is going to shoot the next ten people that walk by. I have a few options. I am standing next to a stanchion rope. It would be easy for me to pick up the base of the stanchion

In this particular scenario, I would pick up the base of the stanchion rope and knock the criminal out. The reason that this would be the method chosen is because not only would I save the lives of those ten people, but I would also save myself and my identity. The pros of this approach would be that the ten lives would be saved as well as my identity. A con would be that I would have to physically hurt the criminal. Though this sounds most logical, it may be difficult for many people to do, specifically those who do not like to see others get

Everyone grows up in a different environment, and these environments greatly influence a person’s morals and values. If a person has ever experienced a traumatic event in their life, it is likely that they have a mental effect from that event. If they have a mental illness, it is likely that the person will be less able to have moral responsibility. Although this argument may be plausible this could vary from person to person and the length that the soldiers have been active or the individual’s personal history.
I would view this problem to be important, but not necessarily serious. With the point that McMahan was making, if it were to be true, it would be important to learn almost everything about the people being surveyed. Different childhood experiences and traumatic events play a large role in the mentality of a person for the rest of their life. If an individual experiences a traumatic event, they are more prone to mental illness, which may cause them to not be as morally responsible as those who have not experienced a mental