Ethics Quiz (Utilitarianism and Moral Imagination)

1. What is the felicific calculus of Bentham? Cite one situation under the criterion of
duration.

The felicific calculus is Jeremy Bentham's method for calculating the degree or
amount of pleasure and pain that a specific action is likely to induce, and thus the
total value of its consequences. It consists of seven methods or tests that will
determine whether an action or a law is good or bad. When deciding what action
to take in a given situation, we should consider the pleasures and pains that will
result from it in terms of their intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity,
fecundity (the chance that a pleasure will be followed by other pleasures, a pain
by further pains), purity (the chance that pleasure will be followed by pains and
vice versa), and extent (the number of persons affected).

A situation I can present is somehow similar to the trolley case, wherein were
obliged to choose whether to sacrifice a few number of person to save a large
number or the entire world. Assume that on one side of the trolley there is a
group of billionaires willing to give away all of their wealth and resources to the
poor in order to eradicate poverty in our country, and on the other side there is a
scientist who has the cure for the deadly covid-19, which could also end all of the
pandemic's lockdowns and restrictions, ergo our lives would be all normal again.
For duration, we can say that all actions will bring long lasting pleasure to the
entire world, eradicating poverty and for everyone having a good life will bring a
huge relief and development for the country and its citizens, in the same way
that the availability of the medicine against covid-19 will definitely help
everyone on the entire world create and rebuild there lives the way they planned
it.

2. Distinguish between rule and act utilitarianism. Give an example for each.

Act utilitarianism holds that a morally correct action is one that produces the
greatest good for the greatest number of people, whilst the Rule utilitarianism
holds that the moral correctness of an action is dependent on the correctness of
the rules that allow it to achieve the greatest good, it focuses on following rules
that are designed to the greatest utility.

An example of an act utilitarianism is sharing your food with more than one
person. For example, imagine you are walking with some food and come across
ten hungry and homeless people in need of food. You actually have enough food
to keep two of them from going hungry all night. If you distributed the food
evenly, no one would feel completely satisfied, but no one would go hungry that
night either. Assume that each of them is currently happy on a scale of two out of
ten. Being fully fed would raise that to an eight out of ten, while only getting a
small amount of food that night would be a four out of ten. The act of
 utilitarianism entails us spreading out the food so that it is equal and everyone
gets something to eat. If everyone is slightly more satisfied, there is definitely
more utility or happiness than if only two people are completely satisfied or fed.
Now, on rule utilitarianism, we can make a rule that states murdering innocent
people, even for life-saving medical treatment, is wrong. Because, in the grand
scheme of things, taking the lives of innocent people for medical reasons may
result in more suffering and less utility.

3. Did the man in the story of the Train do the right thing in saving the passengers instead
of his own child? Justify your answer.

According to Bentham's accounts of his act utilitarianism, the man in the Train
story did the right thing. He chose to save the passengers over his own child,
resulting in greater good for the greater number of people on that train.
Although what he did was bound to break his heart, he did it for the greater good
and the for greater number of people. Despite being aware of the possible future
consequences, such as guilt and shame for not saving his own child, the man
made the greatest sacrifice he could have made. In time, he will also heal and
realize that what he did was not a selfish act, but rather a great moral act of
utilitarianism.

4. Explain why moral imagination is necessary for any moral action. Cite a related
experience.

Moral imagination is necessary for all moral actions because it can be used to
create solutions and achieve better results when dealing with ethical quandaries
or challenges. We can use moral imagination to envision the full range of
possibilities, various and clever ideas for resolving an ethical quandary or
carrying out a moral action. Moral action requires empathy and awareness to
discern what is morally right and relevant in a given situation. Moral imagination
on the other hand, is the ability to be simultaneously ethical and successful by
envisioning new and creative alternatives.

5. Why is the story of the Tylenol case important for moral imagination? Explain your
answer by focusing on J&J’s decision to recall the 31 million capsules from store shelves.

The Tylenol case demonstrates the importance of taking accountability for what
has occurred as a result of the situation and consequences of the J&J company's
actions. This story is important for moral imagination because it served as a
learning experience not only for J&J but also for other medical companies. It is
clear that despite what happened, J&J was able to recover and return to the
market with a much safer and effective painkiller for the people to consume.
What set them apart from other companies was their prompt action and
acceptance of responsibility for their error. The company was quick to recall the
31 million capsules from store shelves and provided free replacement products
in the safer tablet form. They were ethical enough and prioritized the customers,
which resulted in success of their products and company.