Problem With Utilitarianism: Ethical Egoism, Integrity And Justice Problem

Utilitarianism is applying moral principles to promote the greatest amount of good and happiness for the greatest number. For example, giving money to charity causes the greatest amount of good and happiness than spending it on yourself. Mill wrote, “it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied” (Mill. 92)which means happiness is greater than contentment. The act of Utilitarianism is dependent on the satisfaction of happiness for all, an outcome-oriented ethic. Moral weight in utilitarianism is given in an outcome of action without depending on anything else or the person’s intentions. Humans live with outcomes, Bentham said that the outcome that matters most to humans is pleasure; meaning the embodied feeling of pleasure because pleasure and pain are scales that everyone can relate to no matter what such as hunger and physical pain. His main objective is the quantity of pleasure and pain but not what makes a person sad or happy. Betham said all forms of happiness are equal. He concluded that an outcome that causes more pain than not is worst than an outcome that causes less pain. Mill was influenced by Betham, his theory of utilitarianism is happiness in terms of overall quality of experience because we are humans than are complex. A pig would be satisfied by playing in the mud and eating food, opposite than complicated humans. Ethical egoism is the action that is right to produce the best outcome for the person as a singular unit that views conflict with utilitarianism. An asshole is defined by acting in entitled, pervasive, and with no empathy to remove themselves from the moral community. And acting in such a way that the totality of their personality is evaluated negatively. Ethical egoism can lead to becoming an asshole in some situations. Besides, Green said that is not hard to be a utilitarian because it is built in us as humans. For example, by being an asshole to an innocent person that has been killed to save five people in a building fire, the right to live for the innocent person is violated by not saving his/her life. He/she deserved a chance to live just like the other five people that got the chance and their right to live. I think this encourages someone to be an asshole to save more.

One problem with utilitarianism is the integrity and the justice problem which leads the person to be an asshole if they were not equally achieved. The idea that Utilitarianism would force us to abandon our most central and deeply held principles if doing so would maximize utility and happiness; in meaning that people could not benefit as much, be harmed, or not benefit at all. For example, utilitarianism might require anyone to kill an innocent person to save five people which means being an asshole to the innocent person and their loved ones; family. In Utilitarianism, they do not care, they only care about a positive higher quantity result. Another example is the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, the U.S government wanted to test how syphilis workes in a human body and the effects of it, so they went to Guatemala prisons to keep tracks of the people after having sex with prostitutes but it did not work, so the U.S government created sores on their privates to increase the chance of the prisoners getting syphilis. This study was shut down. So, they went to Alabama and give a group of men free healthcare to be given syphilis without the men knowing or having concent to participate in this study. Although the U.S government was a utilitarian by wanting good for the whole country and to help cure and create a vaccine for syphilis, they were classified as assholes because they had risked the lives of innocent men given deadly disease and transmitting syphilis to others. They took advantage of poor, innocent men that were in a desperate situation to get healthcare. Another reason for the U.S government to be an asshole is they continued the study after they found a cure for syphilis to test the long term for the disease. Eventually, by harming the small group of people in both Guatemala and Tuskegee, we learned how diseases are transmitted socially and individuals and the effect on the body, which is great in utilitarianism. This is because some people were harmed (the men participated unwillingly), some people somewhat benefited (people who are infected and got cured), some people did not benefit (people who were not affected) which is a problem. But if we continued doing this society would have a hard time functioning depending on the minority and the percentages of the population participating. For example, this would happen if people constantly had to live in fear of being subjected to unethical medical tests.

Utilitarianism encourages a persons’ moral and ethical decision to be an asshole in the innocent person’s viewpoint but it discourages someone from being an asshole and sacrificing one to rescue more is not seen as a problem because they are saving more lives and are considered a hero. Because being a utilitarian means sacrificing and harming someone or yourself (being an asshole to your own self because you took away the right to live your life and causing sadness and sorrow to everyone around you that cares about you) to benefit others; which shows no empathy and discard meaningful relationships and people around which are asshole characteristics.