Philosophy Concepts Utilitarianism, Determinism, and the Problem of Evil

Utilitarianism: Definition “The greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people.” Utilitarianism is a system of morality based on increasing the amount of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) in the world and decreasing the amount of bad things (such as pain and unhappiness). Rejects moral codes or systems that consist of commands or taboos that are based on customs, traditions, or orders given by leaders or supernatural beings (arguments from authority or tradition).

Utilitarianism: Aggragate/Collective Good A Utilitarian moralist could sum up the “units” of pleasure and the units of pain for everyone affected by an action, and take the balance as a measure of the overall good or evil tendency of an action.

Utilitarianism Example For example, in “Should You Kill the Fat Man?”, a Utilitarian moralist would suggest that the proper action is to kill the fat man, thereby saving five other lives– because the sum total of happiness is greater in that outcome. You can also see utilitarian thinking in the hospital scenario, where one healthy backpacker is butchered to provide organs for ten other patients.

Utilitarianism- In the Face of Death eades/Default.aspx eades/Default.aspx

Determinism Definition The doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Some philosophers have taken determinism to imply that individual human beings have no free will and cannot be held morally responsible for their actions.

A Determinist might believe that the past, present, and future are an essentially unbreakable chain of circumstances of which no single link in such a chain could possibly be avoided. For example, if at the molecular level, every action is just a reaction to a previous event…the universe is basically one gigantic series of chain reactions. Including us.

Determinism is not Fate Determinism is not the idea that all events have been pre-ordained by the will of God(s). It is not the same thing as “fate” or “destiny.” It does raise similar problems with the issue of free will. One major issue raised: if we aren’t truly in control of our choices, then can we be held morally responsible for our actions?

Determinism Example kfurt/Default.aspx kfurt/Default.aspx This exercise deals with moral agents who, for various contrived reasons, act without any alternative being given.

The Problem of Evil- Definition The question of how to reconcile the existence of evil with that of a God who is, in either absolute or relative terms, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent. In other words, why does a good God let bad things happen?

The Problem of Evil- Responses Responses to the Problem of Evil are traditionally called theodicies. Theodicies can be fairly complex and philosophical…but let’s simplify one: – It is a natural consequence of having free will and the ability to make morally significant choices. – God values free will, therefore, evil is considered an acceptable consequence.