1. What do you think utilitarian theory tells us about the morality of such ques
ID: 1255171 • Letter: 1
Question
1. What do you think utilitarian theory tells us about the morality of such questions as abortion, capital punishment, or euthenasia? 3-5 sentences2. Is utilitarian theory helpful in deciding these questions? Or would Kant's rule--the Categorical Imperative--be more helpful in this regard? Does Rawl's theory of justice provide a solution? 3-5 sentences
3. Can Ethics be Taught? 3-5 sentences
4. Corporate responsibility is an issue that involves many companies and industries and implies ethical choices. Consider one of the following examples and evaluate to what extent the company is responsible to society at large:
*McDonalds (or any food chain) providing healthier meals to its customers (e.g., cooking its french fries in a healthier frying oil);
*Nike (or any clothing manufacturer) considering its responsibility for running sweatshops in foreign countries in order to produce its apparel;
* BP/Amoco for running environmentally-friendly refining plants (as was the controversial case in Whiting, IN, where BP was found to be running off contaminated water into Lake Michigan).
5.Corporations such as McDonalds may be partially responsible for health issues such as obesity, but how much of the responsibility goes to the US Dept. of Agriculture, which has subsidized the production of cheap and nutritionally empty foods? And how much responsibility for this problem should go to the individuals who decide to eat such foods? 3-5 sentences
6. Cicero wrote that the study of the humanities can make us free. What do you think he meant? 2-5 sentences
Explanation / Answer
Utilitarian theory is based on relativism not moralism. Kant's Categorical Imperative is based on need not idealism. Categorical Imperative and utilitarian can be viewed similarly because in both a person is attempting to do what is best based on escaping a bad condition. example: if you are thirsty, the moral decision to drink would be based on the desire to escape the effects of dehydration. If you are hungry you eat to escape the undesirable effects of hunger. And the morality of doing either when the material you are eating or drinking, changes depending on how hungry or thirsty you are. For instance, if you haven't eaten for two days, the decision to eat food that belongs to someone else may be more of the moral choice than it would if you just ate 5 minutes ago. But Kant's Categorical Imperative does explain why someone who has never been faced with the need to have an abortion would view it as an immorla decision. Most people who have never been in a situation have all kinds of irrational views they believe others should follow regarding an issue. Most times abortions don't look more favorable because you want to escape the undesirable effects of offspring, but to escape the mounting and ever increasing demands placed on you by capitalism and being unable to afford the extra expense of caring for the offspring. Rawls theory is based on cooperation to avoid undesirable problems in society and that power is vested in the government through social contract. all of these address issues of how moral an action is as being based on relativism, rather than moralism. The abortion issue is a moral issue, which should be decided by each individual, individually as should their religious beliefs.
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