Essay on Does Utilitarianism Lead to Extreme Self Sacrifice

The principal of utility is to maximize the happiness in ones self by using benefits misusing the harms. It acts as to produce advantage, pleasure, good or happiness and the greatest net balance of benefits over harms for all affected impartially. In Utilitarianism, J.S. Mill was trying to show that actions and institutions should increase the overall amount of happiness in the world, and stressed the importance of utilitarianism as the first principle in ethics. Happiness should be judged, not only by pleasure, but by pain as well, Mill believes that a person should always seek to gain pleasure and reject pain. According to Smart, the act-utilitarian is to regard rules as mere rules of thumb, and will use them only as rough guides.†¦show more content†¦If someone is not found in responsible for the crime, the angry mob will own there own revenge on a much smaller and quite vulnerable section of the community. If the judge knows that the real culprit is unknown and that the authorities do not even have a good clue as to who he may be. The judge could frame a disliked and useless man who though innocent could easily be framed in order to save the community from the mob. The mob would believe that this man would be the one responsible for the wrong doing and after his execution would not take revenge on the community. â€Å"Most of us regard such a framing and execution of such a man in such circumstances as totally unacceptable.†(Nielsen, 150) In such a case some critics would say that an act-utilitarian may find it difficult because by framing the innocent man would actually be the right choice. By framing him, it will satisfy the angry mob and indeed save the community from bloody savage and revenge. However, Nielsen argues that a reasonable act-utilitarian could conclude that framing an innocent person would not be the rational act. If the magistrate were a tough minded but morally conscientious consequentialist, he could refuse to frame and execute the innocent man, even knowing that this would unleash the mob and cause much suffering and many deaths. The rational for his particular moral stand would be that, if he framed andShow MoreRelatedThe Element Of Moral Philosophy By James Rachels1161 Words   |  5 Pages In the book, â€Å"The Element of Moral Philosophy†, James Rachels explores the several criticisms of Utilitarianism. In this essay, I will touch on these criticisms, outlining the major implications they propose to Utilitarianism. 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