Louis Pojman’s Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong Essays -- Utilitari

Utilitarianism is a theory which states that the purpose of lesson philosophy is to achieve maximal goodness in a connection. It is consequentialist rather than deontological in that the moral value of ethical decisions ar to be judged in equipment casualty of their effects, rather than the intrinsic properties of the acts themselves. Those effects are deemed good which generate the or so pleasure or happiness, or which minimize overall pain. There are two classical types of utilitarianism which will be under our consideration act-utilitarianism and rule-utilitarianism. devil objections to utilitarianism will be examined, as well as Louis Pojmans responses to those objections in Ethics Discovering Right and Wrong. It will be shown that Pojman presents an adequate defense of utilitarianism, and that utilitarianism succeeds as a worthwhile moral theory. Act-Utilitarianism is the thesis that an act is right wing if and save if it results in as much good as any len dable alternative (Pojman 110). One conspicuous problem with the thesis is that it suggests that correct moral actions will often clash with our intuitions about basic moral norms. For example, Pojman refers to Richard Brandts criticism in which he points out that the act-utilitarian seems to be committed to serving the needy above ones own family, repaying debts only if thither is no better use for the money, and ending the lives of those who are a give out on others (Pojman 110). Rule-Utilitarianism is a response to this objection and an attempt to formulate a more plausible conception of the theory. Pojmans definition is An act is right if and only if it is required by a rule that is itself a fellow member of a set of rules whose acceptance would lead to greater utility for society tha... ... more difficult objections can be countered in various ways. The no-rest objection isnt defeating, since leisure can be incorporated into the moral rules. The rightness objection h as two responses one of defeat, the other of integration. I have embed the response of defeat (that umpire can be overridden) to be unsatisfactory, since justice is an intrinsic good that is absolutely necessary for human flourishing. The conciliatory get down to the justice objection seeks to integrate justice into the higher level rules. I think that this is a credible utilitarian position. It captures the importance of justice in our moral reasoning and legitimates utilitarianism as a moral theory without sacrificing the principles of consequentialism nor utility. flora CitedPojman, Louis P. Ethics Discovering Right and Wrong. 5th edition. Thomson Nelson. Toronto 2005.