The Theory Of Normative Ethics - 1420 Words

One day you wake up and you are faced with a dreaded decision: to sacrifice a family member to save the man who has the cure to cancer, or to sacrifice the man who has the cure to cancer to save the family member. These scenarios are ones that seem impossible to formulate an answer for. Would you rather save millions of lives or save the individual closest to you? One way that makes this scenario slightly easier to answer is from a Utilitarianism form of view. Utilitarianism is a theory of normative ethics defined as, â€Å"the view that right actions are those that result in the most beneficial balance of good over bad consequences for everyone involved† (191). If one day you were to wake up and be faced with an impossible decision,†¦show more content†¦The people who were trapped were faced with two options, do nothing and drown, or use the stick of dynamite they have and blow up the fat guy to ensure their safety. Looking at this case from a Utilitarianism view Nie lsen states that, â€Å"[the fat man] should be blasted out† (215). Nielsen is well aware that the decision overrides the principle of â€Å"the innocent should never be deliberately killed†¦but the people involved are caught in a desperate situation in which, if such extreme action is not taken, many lives will be lost and far greater misery will obtain† (215). Blowing up the fat man does not mean that the people did not care about him, â€Å"the fat man’s person-his interests and rights-are not ignored† (215). The decision will haunt the people for the rest of their lives. This case portrays how Utilitarianism view aims to save as many people as possible with the least amount of casualties, and also shows how moral reasoning is considered. I believe that utilitarianism is the correct view to take when faced upon extreme situations. A real world example of extreme situations is war. During World War II the decision for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was taken from a Utilitarianism stand point. What led the United States to make such a decision was the Japanese attack, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Japanese showed no mercy, they attack killed lots of innocent man, women, and children. The United States was well aware that if they did not silence their