Applied Ethics: The Consequence
The greatest good for the greatest number
This page expands on the general Applied Ethics page which explores how you can utilise the key branches of normative ethics to give students user-friendly ethical frameworks. Now to take a deep dive into considering the part 'the act' takes in making ethical decisions. The foundation of Utilitarianism is built on that the most ethical course of action is the one where the greatest good is created for the greatest number of people. However, does the end always justify the means?
Applied Ethics and the CP core
'Applied ethics' seeks to apply normative ethics and subsequent frameworks in practical situations.
How does this relate to PPS and the reflective project?
The reflective project is about critical thinking to a specific current ethical dilemma in their career-related subject; this is a project about applying ethics. Students need parameters within which to work which is why their understanding of normative ethics must be built up systemmatically and clear in how to apply it in a range of scenarios. The contextualising of the ethical dilemma through a local and/or global examples and consideration of its impact emphasises the unique nature of a specific situation on an ethical dilemma.
What are we talking about when we talk about ethics?
The three branches of ethics are Meta-ethics, Normative ethics and Applied ethics
Meta-ethics
Key question: What is it to be morally right or morally wrong?
Meta-ethics studies the nature of ethical judgments, the definition of ethical terms and different ways ethical arguments can be carried out. It is a step back from whether something is right or wrong; more the nature of right and wrong or good and bad.
Normative ethics
Key question: What does it mean to act ethically? Should ethical behaviour be influenced by what is right for the person; the intention behind the action itself; or what the consequence will be?
Normative ethics ... is all about creating theories and frameworks for ethical behaviour. The attention here is turned away from the moral nature of ethics but more towards how we should act. The 'act' in itself has three moral angles to consider: the agent, the act itself and the consequences; furthermore they are each emphasised respectively in Virtue, deontological and consequentialist ethics.
... is what?
Consequentialist ethics are a type of ethical theory which holds that an action is right or wrong depending on the consequences it produces. Specifically, consequentialist ethics states that an action is right or wrong depending on its ability to produce the most favorable outcome or “good” for all those involved. This is in contrast to deontological ethics, which states that an action is right or wrong based on the intentions of the individual who performs the action and not on the consequences of the action. Consequentialist theories have been used to argue for various policies such as poverty relief and environmental protection, as well as the abolition of certain forms of punishment such as the death penalty.
Give us an example
Utilitarianism is a moral theory that places the greatest value on striving for the greatest good for the greatest number of people. It is an ethical system that can be used to evaluate different actions, ultimately determining which action will lead to the most benefit for society as a whole.
Consequentialist ethics
Consequentialist ethics tell us that actions are motivated by the outcome desired.
Example 1: Utilitarianism
In the case of utilitarianism, the extent to which an action is deemed useful is by how much happiness it brings people. This philosophy was first associated with Jeremy Bentham who stated 'an action is right if it brings about more pleasure than pain and wrong if it brings more pain than pleasure'.
Key words: Hedonic calculus, univeralizability, 'the greatest good for the greatest number'.
Strengths
- Utilitarianism encourages people to think about the consequences of their actions in terms of how it will benefit the most people; in its very essence, it is about thinking of others and what benefits a community of people.
- ... and therefore it promotes a sense of social responsibility and urges people to act for the benefit of all.
- Through the concentration on outcomes, it provides arguably clearer guidance for complex ethical decisions.
Limitations
- By the very fact that it is hard to measure the benefit or harm a potential action might result in, it can feel that Utilitarianism can be difficult to apply in practice.
- The focus on the greatest good for the greatest number is well intentioned but this lack of identity given to specific stakeholders might lead to unfortunate outcomes for specific individuals or groups. With so much diversity in the world and the very uniqueness of each individual, is it really feasible to just concentrate on the greatest good for the greatest number?
- It can be seen as too rigid, as it only considers the outcomes of an action and not the motivations behind it. Is an action purely bad if the intentions behind it were honourable and the individual who performed such an action is very distressed at the outcome?