Discussion – Advantages and Disadvantages of Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism, as a moral theory focusing on achieving happiness, has benefits and drawbacks. One of the benefits of utilitarianism is that it places a premium on the consequences of actions and disregards other elements, including the motive and reasons for acting (Burnor & Raley, 2018). This benefit is the most important to ethical decision-making because it encourages people to focus on achieving the greatest good. Besides, focusing on the end helps people make good decisions since the situation determines the course of action. An end goal facilitates utility maximization rather than aligning with some pre-determined values. Utilitarianism encourages people to let go of some cultures, red tape, and traditions that no longer work for them.
Consistently, utilitarianism encourages objectivity in decision-making. The theory has a scientific element to decision-making, as it encourages people to use experiments to establish utilities and disabilities of actions (Burnor & Raley, 2018). Utilitarianism may help individual countries make good geopolitical decisions during global conflicts. For instance, in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis, some countries from the West, like Germany, continued their relationship with Russia to maintain their oil supplies. Germany could have suffered economically if the nation had followed the ‘West ideology’ and cut all relationships with Russia.
On the other hand, utilitarianism ignores other elements of human life that have intrinsic worth. Apart from happiness, other elements such as love, human life, and freedom matter to people. I find this weakness difficult to overcome because it is the foundation of morality for some (Nathanson, 2010). Although a utilitarian may make geopolitical decisions based on economic interests, those who value other interests, such as human life, may think otherwise. About the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Germany’s continued oil trade with Russia indirectly funds the war, leading to more suffering among innocent Ukrainians. Any party that values human life would rather forgo economic interests and preserve human life (Nathanson, 2010). Therefore, the most difficult drawback to overcome as a utilitarian is when faced with a dilemma between preserving human life and pursuing happiness.
References
Burnor, R., & Raley, Y. (2018). Ethical choices: An introduction to moral philosophy with cases. New York Oxford University Press.
Nathanson, S. (2010). Terrorism and the Ethics of War. Cambridge University Press.
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Question 
Discussion Readings:
1. Introduction P. 133
2. Ulility & Consequentialism P. 134
3. Utility & Mill’s Account PP. 135-137
Discussion – Advantages and Disadvantages of Utilitarianism
4. Act utilitarinism PP. 138-139
5. Advantages & Problems PP. 140-144
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One of the assigned reading section presents five advantages and three disadvantages to Utilitarianism. Of the advantages, which do you think is most important to ethical decision making in the real world, an why? Of the disadvantages, which do you think is the most difficult to overcome, and why?