Utilitarianism and Euthanasia - 1031 Words

Laurentine Asare Philosophy 103 April 28, 2011 ETHICS The moral issue that I will discuss about is Euthanasia. Euthanasia simplu means bringing the death of another for the benefit of that person and also known as mercy killing. â€Å"When a person carries out an act of euthanasia, he brings about the death of another person because he believes the latters present existence is so bad that she would be better off dead, or believes that unless he intervenes and ends her life, it will†¦show more content†¦In applying euthanasia to consequentialism, consequentialism has only one duty which is to maximize good consequences. It doesn’t matter what we do, all it wants is to maximize good results. In performing euthanasia on a person, we are maximizing good consequences because the person requesting it is happy about it and wants to be freed from all the pain and suffering. So if a person receives this treatment, it will increase the mass of good results. In Kant theory, morality is a matter of duty. A duty is an obligation, we must do it even if we don’t want to. Morality will consist in acting out of duty. Must be motivated by sense of duty. It’s like a law or rule that applies universal. We must follow it. If a law says we cannot kill, we have to follow it not just because we have to but also is in accordance with our with our moral duty. In acting from duty, acting according to law and for the right reason. For example, it is my duty not to kill. Killing is wrong. The Good Will freely chooses to do something precisely because it is one’s moral duty, and that duty is dedicated by reason. The only motivation that counts for good will is rightness of action. We control our Good will, it is solely based on our own individual intentions, will and motives. If we make it our moral duty to obey laws, we are not just acting on it because we want to and people tell us to but it is something that we are dedicated to and must follow it. We have aShow MoreRelatedEuthanasia: Kantianism vs Utilitarianism1599 Words   |  7 Pagesas euthanasia. At present, euthanasia is one of the most controversial social-ethical issues that we face, in that it deals with a sensitive subject matter where there is much uncertainty as to what position one ought to take. Deliberately killing another person is presumed by most rational people as a fundamental evil act. However, when that person gives his or her consent to do so, this seems to give rise to an exceptional case. This can be illustrated in the most common case of euthanasia, whereRead MoreEssay on Utilitarianism and the Case for Euthanasia1353 Words   |  6 PagesUnitarianism and the Case for Euthanasia One of greatest moral issues facing society today is that of freedom. Freedom is a principle that this country was founded on at the start of its inception. Freedom is still a cause that requires our attention. The great debate on simple liberties such as the right to decide what happens to one’s body is still an issue that society has failed to resolve. It is a moral quandary that will continue to be discussed and a deliberated on as long as humankind areRead MoreThe Morality Of Euthanasia And The Application Of Utilitarianism1213 Words   |  5 PagesThe Morality of Euthanasia and the Application of Utilitarianism. Introduction When a patient is in immense amounts of pain from a terminal illness, one of the options to relieve a person from the pain is euthanasia. Euthanasia is seen as a controversial and moral issue because of the different viewpoints. Euthanasia is seen by some as killing, while others see it as removing a person from immense amounts of pain. This paper will first discuss the principles of utilitarianism through BenthamRead MoreTaking a Look at Euthanasia1733 Words   |  7 PagesEuthanasia, also commonly referred to as ‘mercy killing’, and ‘assisted suicide’, has been and continues to be the subject to moral, legal, religious and political debates around the world. At the core of debate lies to competing values between the right for every individual to decide to die with dignity when suffering, and the need to uphold the right to life. (Australian Human Rights Commission. 1996) The purpose of this task is to critically analyse the nature and extent of euthanasi a and whetherRead MoreVoluntary Euthanasia Or Assisted Suicide983 Words   |  4 PagesA topic that has been around for a while is voluntary euthanasia or assisted suicide. Our book states that â€Å"a person who is virtually certain to die within a given amount of time and is experiencing or will experience a lot of pain before he or she dies should be able to choose an earlier, les painful death (Mosser, 2013). There are reasons that arise or illnesses that occur that should be reason enough for a person to choose if they want to continue to suffer through the illness or the painRead MoreEuthanasi A Controversial Issue1273 Words   |  6 PagesActive euthanasia is a complicated and contentious issue. The Oxford dictionary defines euthanasia as, â€Å"The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma† (Euthanasia, Def.1). Given the requirements that one must meet to be able to eligible for active euthanasia: a terminal illness that will lead to death in six months or less, is it moral to grant people this wish? While there should be restrictions in place to help regulate euthanasia, thereRead MoreNormative Ethics And Ethical Ethics Essay1434 Words   |  6 Pagesassociated with euthanasia -- whether it is correct or wrong, whether the wishes to die of a dying person should be entertained and respected, and whether taking a life can be ever considered, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the decision. No standard answers can be given to these questions; it ultimately depends on the person’s moral compass and the ethical theory he or she adheres to. The paper will analyze Frankie’s actions using two major normative ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontologyRead MoreUtilitarianism : The Morally Right Action1194 Words   |  5 PagesTulasha Thapa Final Paper Utilitarianism Utilitarianism states, â€Å"The morally right action is determined by the consequences of the action, not the motives of the agent†. Utilitarianisms consider happiness to be the foundation of morality. The famous version, â€Å"act utilitarianism,† says the morally right action is the one that brings about the greatest consequence of the greatest number of people. Mill thought it was obvious that everyone ultimately wants to be happy, so he made this the foundationRead MoreThe Theory Of Utilitarianism By John Stuart Mill1659 Words   |  7 Pagestheory of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is a theory, in the simplest form of choosing pleasure over pain, established by Jeremy Bentham and further developed with other philosophers, most notably by John Stuart Mill. The use of utility obtains calculated values from multiple circumstances, ranging from the intensity to the extent of pain and pleasure that becomes involved within the decision. A large controversial topic invol ving utilitarianism is terminal illness and whether euthanasia is acceptableRead MoreEuthanasia Is The Act Of Killing Someone Painlessly1534 Words   |  7 PagesEuthanasia is the act of killing someone painlessly, especially someone suffering from an incurable illness or an irreversible coma. The term is synonymous with physician-assisted suicide, a form of active euthanasia in which a doctor provides an individual, either terminally ill or facing a diminished quality of life, with the information and means to take his or her own life. It involves a situation in which a patient voluntarily performs the act of committing suicide by taking a lethal dose of