In any event the difficulty of coming up with ways of measuring outcomes is likely to itself generate significant political controversy. Professor Singer traversed many areas in his oration- from living in bushfire prone areas, internet censorship and electronic gambling, to dealing with climate change and world poverty. Governments have been using Utilitarian ethics in carrying out their activities, but most them have been unproductive in the sense that they lead to human suffering and unhappiness. This was the essential finding of both the Stern and Garnaut reports. Like other forms of consequentialism, its core idea is that whether actions are morally right or wrong depends on their effects.More specifically, the only effects of actions that are relevant are the good and bad results that they produce. But even in the case where it is possible to reach a relatively “controversy free” measure of outcomes after the event, the assumption that it will always be possible to predict these outcomes at the time a policy or course requires adoption seems problematic. As formulated by Kant, the guiding principles are that human beings should never be treated as a means to an end and that an action (including a policy) should be judged on the basis of whether it should become a universal law. This theory was developed by Jeremy Bentham, he believed that we need to be most worried about how much pleasure and/or pain our actions cause. In this theory, the main criterion of justice and morality is utility, which was borrowed by utilitarians from Adam Smith (1723-1790). Definition and examples. In case the government engages in an act to please a few individuals, the consequence would be considered unethical even though it might be viewed as the best. Print. Utilitarianism contrasts with what is known as deontological or duty ethics. This may not merely be a problem of “realpolitik”. I'm having a little trouble coming up with examples of utilitarian way of thought and how it is related to government action. It is the results of our actions that matter, and those resultsare measured by reference to the condition of people generally. In the modern society, people are allowed to post all sorts of information on the internet since they simply represent their views and they ought not to be accurate or true. In this case, the government has never cares about whether the consequences are positive or negative provided they satisfy the greatest number of people. It leads him to some very counter-intuitive opinions about what is right and what is wrong. And because “key stakeholders” are often organised, and often have good access to media, they can influence the way policy is presented to, and ultimately perceived by, the wider public. Kant thought these issues should be decided through strict application of reason. The use of technology is always good, but if it only ensures happiness by reducing suffering. Wondering what utilitarianism is and how the aforementioned incident is an example of it? "Utilitarianism in Government." The American philosopher John Rawls also adopted a deontological approach towards policy formulation. 23 December. During a catastrophic event, there’s a switch from doing what is best for the patients to doing the greatest good for the largest amount of people. The ongoing uprisings in the Arab world are attributable to technology since people are in a position to receive and share information easily (Petronio 112). Utilitarianism - Utilitarianism - Effects of utilitarianism in other fields: The influence of utilitarianism has been widespread, permeating the intellectual life of the last two centuries. Human rights approaches to policy formation are also deontological to the extent that they posit a list of inalienable rights. Take the first Rudd government’s home insulation scheme. What is utilitarianism? Notwithstanding this, utilitarianism is already part of our political ethos. The United States dropped the atomic bombs in Japan during the Second World War, which was a great action according to utilitarianism since it ended the war that had affected the lives of many people. In this case, other values are thought to derive their importance from the intrinsic good implying an action should never be viewed as an end to itself instead it should be considered one of the means to achieving the greatest good. Inequalities in educational access serve as a particularly powerful example of this point. As formulated by Kant, the guiding … To put the matter simply, utilitarianism offers no cohesive way to discern between the various factions competing against one another in political debates and thus fails to provide an adequate guide for ethical human action. Read ahead. Here the government acted speedily to create an economic stimulus to maintain employment in the face of the global financial crisis. The influence of utilitarianism has been widespread and its significance in law, politics is especially notable. Why should we expect that utility should always trump finely tuned political instincts? Lawyers have their own ethical standards that each member has to follow when relating with the public, including offering a counsel online. Hoboken: Wiley, 2014. But perhaps it is most pronounced in debates over whether certain types of activity are “morally wrong” and should therefore be illegal, or are better addressed through harm minimisation strategies. Utilitarianism's primary weakness has to do with justice. Cite this . But if it is too difficult to develop useful objective criteria for measuring the likely outcome regarding the best employee for a position in a university faculty, how much more problematic is any exercise that aims to measure the outcomes of public policy? For example… Utilitarianism holds that actions, or policies, should be judged by the amount of pleasure/pain or good or bad effects the action or policy has on the greatest number of people. Print. This is particularly the case in relation to the sources from which most people obtain their “news”- commercial television and the tabloid media. Act Utilitarianism: An act is right insofar as its consequences for the general happiness are at least as good as any alternative available to the agent. Given the problems inherent in prognostication, flexibility in fine tuning policies is desirable. While reading this chapter one example Came to mind, I brought a dilemma to decide how the majority and minority might see different on a subject. How does one measure the outcomes of a particular policy? This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. underlining all individuals have the right to obtaining happiness. For example, in I. Robotthe supercomputer V.I.K.I uses her massive database to calculate that human beings prefer safety over freedom, and therefore concludes that the most moral course of action is for her to imprison all th… For example, say you live in a utilitarian country with 75% white people and 25% minorities and a law is proposed that would legalize whites owning members of the minority as slaves. Is Political Analysis a 'Scientific' Enterprise? Filed Under: philosophy, politics Tagged With: Climate change, difficulty in predicting consequences, Kant, Peter Singer, pink batts scheme, Rawls, Utilitarianism and the political process, Your email address will not be published. 2019. Utilitarianism is the idea that political and moral decision should not be based on natural rights, but based on which choice produces the “greatest good for the greatest number”. Copyright © 2021 - IvyPanda is a trading name of Edustream Ethical Questions: East and West. Utilitarianism is an ethical philosophy that an action is right if it promotes happiness for the majority of people. How many pages (words) do you need? Many governments consider utilitarianism the code for public actions and individuals are expected to align their actions to the mainstream principle based on the ethical theory. Should It Be? In case a policy is formulated and its implementation is ineffective, changes could still be introduced. For Rawls policies should be considered from the starting point of a “veil of ignorance”. Yet, most people use this approach almost by default and rarel… Gupta, Bina. This is from an assumption that nobody knows what his or her class position, status or natural ability will be within the social order. IvyPanda. "Utilitarianism in Government." It started out as an immensely popular policy with about two million home owners having taken advantage of the rebate. IvyPanda. Need a custom Term Paper sample written from scratch by Utilitarianism in Government. This does not mean that the concerned agencies should control what to be posted because this would result in the infringement of the personal liberty as far as free expression is concerned. A standard objection to utilitarianism is that it could require us to violate the standards of justice. Engineering Ethics: An Industrial Perspective. Rawls believed this approach would lead all reasonable people to favour policies promoting greater justice or equality. Society is always viewed as a natural environment with several niches meaning it could accommodate various animals. Amsterdam: Elsevier Academic Press, 2006. In case government representatives are to achieve the greatest good for the members of society, they are expected to engage in thorough research by exploring the available options and determining the best with an aim of establishing which one would have the better results. But foil is normally only used in new home construction where it is not dangerous. Summary: However applicable utilitarianism is to the development or assessment of ethics and public policy, in the end, it probably adds little to successful navigation of the political process. In other words, technology has led to developments in politics, economics, and cultures given the fact individuals are able to share information globally. Governments have been accused of infringing on the rights of people by intercepting their emails. obligation . The theory is being applied globally to ensure human conditions are improved as was suggested in the Plato’s Republic. Print. Mill suggested that the act should be in a position to compel an individual to do something instead of simply persuading or exhorting him or her to an act in a particular way. As one of the leading ethicists of our day, his paradigm for ethics is thoroughly utilitarian. Each action should be evaluated by reference to its consequences, given all the circumstances. But elsewhere noise from the press gallery and the Opposition will more likely highlight the so-called policy “back flip”. Political Science Essay Examples Utilitarianism Essay Utilitarianism is the philosophical theory that the morally right act or policy is the one that promotes the greatest happiness, or well-being, counting equally the happiness and unhappiness of each person. Perhaps it is also the case that a sense of righteousness leads some people to feel gratification or happiness. Utilitarianism vs Libertarianism: Examples and Facts Essay. In 2010 Professor Peter Singer delivered an oration to the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA). In the state of nature, animals with several characteristics exist, as there are some feeding on insects, others on seeds, and some on nectar. Utilitarianism holds that the most ethical choice is the one that will produce the greatest good for the greatest number. A further complication is how to measure consequences or outcomes of a particular policy at the point when Government must decide to adopt that policy. If the former […] Where a policy is carefully measured after its adoption and the measurement shows positive outcomes have not been maximised, the logical utilitarian response is to replace, or fine tune, the policy with something better. Duty ethics holds that actions or policies should be judged by the extent to which they adhere to duties or general principles. The idea of utilitarianism is tightly intertwined with the philosophy of consequentialism. In the modern society, the government applies utilitarianism with the sole purpose of offering an answer to the practical question asking what should be done in society to improve the conditions of living (Baura 14). When considering the consequences of an act, the government is always committed to the theory of intrinsic value meaning an act is believed to be good in itself, as well as its consequences. professional specifically for you? Utilitarianism seems as though it will stop individual rights, because the only way to conform to utilitarianism is by always agreeing with the majority of the group. In the modern world, technology defines the successfulness of any organization, irrespective of the size and the scope of work. According to the Utilitarian ethics, the government should aim at implementing policies that will ensure happiness while at the same time reducing suffering (Gupta 67). Therefore, utilitarianism justifies its decisions based on establishing the amount of benefits against that of losses. Utilitarianism seems as though it will stop individual rights, because the only way to conform to utilitarianism is by always agreeing with the majority of the group. This means it does not only focus on the individual events and the communal guidelines, but also on the nature of the whole society. The philosophy of consequentialism is based on the belief that the moral and ethical value of one’s action should be judged by the consequence of such action. This is because the veil of ignorance means that anybody could happen to be born into difficult circumstances or with an unlucky dip into the gene pool. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must. His view is that the soundness of a policy is to be judged by its results, outcomes or consequences. IvyPanda. He introduced the principles of capitalism since it was viewed that it would realize the dreams of the greatest number of people. Utilitarianism has been the guide for most of these models, with the idea of survival of the greatest number in mind. Opponents of action argue that Australia should not act too early because this will not solve the overall problem and will simply lead to export of jobs in carbon intensive industries. This article evaluates the application of utilitarian theory in government since it is noted that many officials are concerned with realizing the best results. This has led to ethical issues regarding the viability of technology because governments are misusing it to infringe on the rights of people. Some birds are in a position to feed on seeds with hard shells while some cannot meaning each category of animal should be allowed to enjoy its freedom. > Social & Political Theory > Utilitarianism vs Libertarianism: Examples and Facts. Read More. If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Religious approaches to policy formulation are also often deontological. Many governments across the world tend to apply the views of Bentham who was optimistic of applying a hedonic calculus in resolving the issues affecting the citizens. This is so even though rights may conflict with each other and that it might be argued that adherence to human rights will also generally result in the greatest good for the greatest number. The web user has to read everything that he or she finds online in order to understand the views of others, but he or she has to decide on which material to rely on when making a decision (Westacott 112). These assessments arguably have their own biases and both cost-benefit and actuarial calculations can only ever be as good as the soundness of the assumptions that they rest upon. (2019) 'Utilitarianism in Government'. Yet when it comes to policy formation everything lies in the way any philosophical approach, whether utilitarian or deontological, is applied. "Utilitarianism in Government." I would hope that when we think about the plausibility of utilitarianism in public-policy situations, we don't get distracted by unrealistic, hypothetical examples, even though they can be fun to think about," Eggleston said. In the ancient Greece, the ethic of retirement was applied, which was based on utilitarianism whereby government officials were expected to cease work to pave way for the younger generation to realize their economic, social, and political ambitions. The ethical codes found in various professional manuals should guide people in writing their materials because posting anything, including false information, would be misleading the public and this would cause pain to certain individuals hence the government has the responsibility to prevent this act. Each action should be evaluated by referenceto its consequences, given all the circumstances. A normative argument must have a normative premise whether it is explicitly stated or not. One might not disagree. Act and Rule Utilitarianism. In each case, we begin with a look at classical formulations, locating them in historical context, but then shift to the contemporary debates as they relate to politics today. Professor Singer answered that he even found selection criteria problematic in deciding how to measure who might be the best person to employ within the university faculty. 2 min. Utilitarianism in American Politics? We will write a custom Term Paper on Utilitarianism in Government specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012. Then there are arguments over the relative merits of renewable energy, nuclear power, carbon sequestration, or geo-engineering as effective solutions to the climate change problem. We utilize security vendors that protect and When it was installed directly over live electrical wires, and fastened with metal staples in existing homes, it electrified roofs and buildings. It is interesting that the founders of modern utilitarianism and the pleasure principle, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, were both British. The Virtues of Our Vices: A Modest Defense of Gossip, Rudeness, and Other Bad Habits. Your email address will not be published. at all… [T]he act-utilitarian view will not provide a moral bond which could be associated with, for instance, the idea of citizenship… But surely the speed at which the scheme could be rolled out must have appealed as at least one of a number of legitimate measures of good outcomes at the time the Government was required to decide on the appropriate range of economic, job creating, stimulus measures. The use of technology is always good, but if it only ensures … Your privacy is extremely important to us. While most people would say “yes of course” to the simple proposition that a policy’s outcome is relevant to whether it should be adopted, Professor Singer’s application of utilitarianism leads him to favour policies on abortion, animal liberation, euthanasia, and sex with animals, which, whether right or wrong, would hardly elicit the uncontroversial “why of course” response from most members of the public. Boundaries of Privacy: Dialectics of Disclosure. As Gordon Clark pointed out in one of his philosophic essays, it is simply not possible to logically arrive at the conclusion that people ought to behave in some specified way simply because someone prefers it that way.The most popular ethical philosophy to employ with respect to issues of ethical behavior at the current time appears to be utilitarianism. Utilitarianism contrasts with what is known as deontological or duty ethics. He stated that a better result was often achieved by following one’s instincts. Utilitarianism is one of the best known and most influential moral theories. His topic was ‘Ethics & Public Policy’. Posts about examples of utilitarianism in today’s society examples of utilitarianism ethics real life examples of utilitarianism examples of utilitarianism in healthcare examples of utilitarianism in business exa written by T h e o • p h i l o g u e December 23, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/utilitarianism-in-government/. Form of Political Ideology: Social Democracy. But the idea that outcomes should influence public policy is not really a “challenge to accepted norms”. It is well understood that naturally occurring gaps in access to quality education can stunt economic growth. Mill and Bentham are believed to be hedonists because they perceived pleasure as a balance of satisfaction whereby suffering is avoided under all means. Utilitarianism states that an act is right or wrong if it has the best balance of pleasure over pain among the available acts. Act utilitarianism is the most familiar form of direct utilitarianism applied to action, whereas the most common indirect utilitarian theory of duty is rule utilitarianism. Retrieved from https://ivypanda.com/essays/utilitarianism-in-government/. The government is a large organization charged with the role of ensuring citizens achieves their interests in the best way possible. The trolley problem. Petronio, Sandra. December 23, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/utilitarianism-in-government/. In a truly utilitarian country, that law would pass since the majority of people would be helped by having access to free labor. The problem of measuring consequences was acknowledged by Peter Singer himself in a telling response to a question from an audience member at the oration. In addition, J.S. In the United States for instance, Roosevelt came up with a radical program that would transform America as far as economic activities were concerned. University walls may shake as philosophers unite to praise the utility of the policy refinement. The basic principle of utilitarianism is that the right thing to do is whatever will promote the greatesthappiness of the greatest number of people. Let's see if we can help you! But in politics this luxury is often absent. (2019, December 23). It is commonly supposed as beyond dispute that utilitarianism is a maximizing theory, that the utility to be promoted, directly by individual actions, indirectly by moral rules, moral virtues, or public institutions, is maximum utility, either maximum utility altogether (on the classical view) or maximum average utility (on most modern views). For instance, the government does not consider a policy that would construct a warehouse for the detainees who go through their rehabilitation program successfully but instead it would formulate a policy that retrains, supervises, and incorporates the individuals into the community (Harris 76). Baura, Gail. But political realities also mean that the philosophers’ capacity to influence the outcomes they regard as so pivotal, will usually remain at the periphery of the political processes through which social change comes about. Bureaucracy constantly refers to its preference for “evidence based policy” and most policies are subject to cost-benefit analysis and actuarial assessment before their consideration by Government. Rule utilitarianism, also known as indirect or restricted utilitarianism is a form of utilitarianism, which argues that an individual’s duty is to follow the rule that would lead to the best values if the rule is adhered to, but not to seek after that act that would create the best general values. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a very prominent example of the philosophy of ‘Utilitarianism’. A standard objection to utilitarianism is that it could require us to violate the standards of justice. The strength of this view can be seen, for example, in the influence of ethicist Peter Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton University. IvyPanda. The perception that democratic governments were following the utilitar- ian principle provoked a reaction from several political philosophers, who argued that unconstrained utilitarianism might justify abhorrent policies. This is also an area where fierce competition between conflicting interests has come to the fore. Utilitarianism: Death Penalty - View on Capital Punishment, Utilitarianism' Critique by B. Williams and P. Pettit, Michael Sandel’s Objections to Utilitarianism, Utilitarian Principles in Business Ethics, Biggart and Swedberg Views on Capitalist Development, Rational Choice, Pluralist and Marxist Theories’ Contributions to the Study of Public Policy. Political issues are typically reported in a style that resembles moral absolutism more than attempts to dispassionately measures happiness or pleasure against suffering and pain. It is easy enough to say that a policy, or the most ethical course, should be judged in terms of consequences or outcomes. If someone could help me with a couple of ideas it would be greatly appreciated! It is a form of consequentialism. For example, concepts such as personal tastes and preferences are used to denote the theory of utilitarianism in contemporary applications of the concept (Bentham, 2012). Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on outcomes. Utilitarianism is a moral philosophy where the moral justification of a course of action is established based on its ability to accord tangible benefits to a more significant number of beneficiaries than those who lose out. Its significance in law, politics, and economics is especially notable.