PHIL 482 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Henry Sidgwick, John Stuart Mill, Act Utilitarianism
5 Sep 2016
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Utilitarianism is a general ethical theory which is applicable to all decisions we make, not just decisions by engineers. Utilitarianism - an act being morally right or wrong depends solely on the consequence. An act that brings about at least as much pleasure or wellbeing as every alternative act is morally right. Acts that do not maximize pleasure or wellbeing are morally wrong. If you"re utilitarian the fact that we are harming the earth by letting the temperature increase is of no moral concern. How climate change can affect organisms that can experience pleasure or wellbeing. Because the total consequences would be better with lower emissions, it is the morally right thing to do. The consequences for us would be bad is not a sufficient reason for refraining from lowering emission of greenhouse gases. Utilitarian ethics often conflict with conventional morality and deeply rooted cultural norms. Many people believe politicians should never lie, but utilitarians disagree.
