Utilitarianism Research Paper

Utilitarianism is the foundation of moral values or maximization of net expectable value for all parties affected by a decision and/or action. This ethical decision is most popular in making the right choice in a given situation is the one that produces the most happiness and/or the least unhappiness for the largest number of people. Utilitarianism plays a large part in life because it has the most to do with results-based ethics in which it is simple and appeals to common sense. It is more sensible to base ethics on : producing and reducing happiness, and the consequences of what we do, because we make decisions about what to do by considering what result it will produce, and it is easy to understand based on common sense. The positive features of utilitarianism can be looked at in many ways. In this moral theory, every person’s good or happiness is equally important. The principal value is consistent with the notion of democracy. Furthermore, the utility or happiness provides a clear usable standard for determining right and wrong. There are also negative features that can be addressed about the utilitarian ethical approach. It is difficult to quantify happiness as well as calculate how quickly the effects of certain behaviors. The theory allows actions that our moral intuitions would consider to be wrong. Additionally, it appears to deny or ignore human rights, since the few may be sacrificed for happiness of the many.

Duty-based is an ethical approach that focuses on moral imperatives, rather than specific consequences. The ethics are concerned with what people do, not with the consequences of their actions. With this ethical reason a person has a duty to hold on to rules of moral conduct. The positive features that help disp...

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The negatives about universal pre-kindergarten education are that it will be hard to say that everyone will be happy with the decision. People that do not have children would have to pay for the universal education. They can argue that it is not fair to pay for this because they do not have a child. It is also hard to calculate the effects of approving universal pre-kindergarten education. We would not know how long it will take to expect if it is good or bad. With our economy in distress we need to analyze carefully to see if it will benefit the country as a whole in the long run. Furthermore, making everyone have universal pre-kindergarten can be too demanding. With the bill passing on universal health care there are people who cannot afford it. By adding this as well the working class and middle-class can suffer the most from this change.