SEATWORK #2

Write a well-formulated statement of the objection to utilitarianism based on the

notion that this theory places excessive moral demands on an individual. While in
deontologism, is the enforcement of a duty a duty in and of itself?

Utilitarianism is one of the best known and most influential moral theories. Its
core idea is that whether actions are morally right or wrong depends on their effects.
Utilitarian’s also believes that the purpose of morality is to make life better by increasing
the number of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) in the world and decreasing
the amount of bad things (such as pain and unhappiness).
In general, Utilitarian’s hold that an act or classes of actions are morally good or bad to
the extent that they tend to create the greatest good for the greatest number. tend to
conceive of good as happiness, pleasure, or overall well-being. This conception of what
makes actions or classes of actions good is intimately tied to the notion of maximizing
human well-being, happiness, or pleasure. But, requiring people to act to maximize
human well-being seems to require too much of people. Specifically, it seems to require
people to act in a manner normally thought to be morally optional (or superlative) in
order to to satisfy the moral demands placed upon them by Utilitarianism. For instance,
spending an hour watching television one evening does not contribute as much to the
overall good of humanity as much as spending that hour working for a charity like
Goodwill. Thus, Utilitarianism seems to require that people devote much larger portions
of their life to charitable work in order simply to be moral people. While it is true that
the world would likely be a better place if people spent the 1456 hours a year that the
average US citizen watches television working for charity, it does not seem immoral to
watch television. Individuals who devote 1,456 hours a year to charity instead of
watching television are deserving of praise, but it seems incorrect to hold people who
watch television morally blameworthy. As a result, Utilitarianism appears to place
excessive moral demands on individuals which are inconsistent with our ordinary
understanding of morality.