In: Nursing
For the Deontologists, moral principles apply to
only people who have accepted a moral duty
people in certain cultures
everyone regardless of their personal feelings
situations where utilitarianism doesn't work
Utilitarianism says that we should always do what will have the
best consequences for all those affected by our actions. "Best
consequences" generally refers to well-being, in some sense,
although utilitarians differ on whether this means happiness, and
the reduction of suffering, or something like the satisfaction of
preferences.
Utilitarians don't just focus on their friends or family, or their
fellow-citizens. They are concerned about distant strangers. They
are concerned about future generations (so utilitarianism tells us
why climate change matters, for example, even if its most severe
effects won't be felt for another century). And "all affected"
includes all sentient beings, so the suffering of animals matters
too.
That's a clear and straightforward ethical position. Virtually
everyone agrees that it's better for sentient beings to be happier
and have less suffering. That's not enough to make everyone a
utilitarian, because some people think that in addition, there are
absolute moral rules one must never break. Most moral rules are
useful guides to what will bring about the best consequences. But
if they are not — if we really know, with certainty, that obeying a
moral rule will have worse consequences than breaking it — should
we still obey it? Why? That's the challenge utilitarianism poses to
other views.
Utilitarianism changes people's lives in many ways. For example it
leads many people to support , a growing movement of people who
want to be as effective as possible in making the world a better
place. They want to do (advert warning, this is the title of my
forthcoming book) The Most Good You Can Do. That doesn't mean that
all EAs are utilitarians, but utilitarians are, or ought to be,
EAs.