Utilitarianism and Euthanasia: A Consequentialist Approach to Moral Dilemmas, Study notes of Modern Philosophy

Download Utilitarianism and Euthanasia: A Consequentialist Approach to Moral Dilemmas and more Study notes Modern Philosophy in PDF only on Docsity! PHL 115 Lecture 5 Utilitarianism Part 1 R&R ch. 6 1. Utilitarianism was launched by the British social reformer Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), and given its most elegant formulation by economist and philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806- 1873). It is the view that the moral course of action is whatever brings about the highest degree of net subjective happiness. It is thus a version of consequentialism, the view that the goodness of an action or policy is a function of its consequences. 2. R&R illustrate utilitarianism’s implication by reference to issues. The first of these is euthanasia, a practice that is legal under controlled conditions in a couple of jurisdictions (e.g., the Netherlands), but in most societies is illegal. Christian authorities have always been opposed to it. 3. According to utilitarians, there can be no moral objection to an action or policy unless it harms an unwilling party. A crucial normative claim on which it is based is that mentally competent adults are sovereign arbiters of their own welfare. Thus if a mentally competent adult judges that she is benefited rather than harmed by being euthanized, then the right course of action for those in a position to honor her request is to kill her.