Ziljane Severino Villacruz

BSA 1A

Activity 2 – Utilitarianism

1. The Common Good

a. According to utilitarianism, we should always do whatever will produce the greatest amount
of happiness and whatever is necessary to prevent the greatest amount of unhappiness. But
what if the only way to produce happiness, and to prevent unhappiness, Is to harm or even
kill people who are innocent?

Our source of happiness sometimes comes from small things we never thought of. On the other hand,
our unhappiness is from a decision we thought could make us happy in the end.

We always have choices at first before engaging ourselves into an event. Most often, we choose the
option that is lightly burdened and seems right. Preventing the ones that might lead us to a dangerous
matter. However, there are circumstances where we need to do something that is unacceptable but is
seen as right in some aspects. It can happen when one occurrence of a situation has a strong sense of a
very acceptable reason to justify the action a person shall do for the sake of the “happiness” everyone
wants to feel and to avoid being unhappy. It would not matter killing someone as long as it may help
numerous people.

b. You imagine that a man planted a bomb in your school, and it will explode in two hours
unless the police are able to find it. Due to time constraint and the impossibility of
evacuating the school, is it legal for the police to use torture to draw information from a
suspected bomber? What if the man who planted the bomb will not say its location unless
his two-year-old child is tortured? Will it be legal for the police to torture the two-year-old
child? Will it be legal for the police to torture the two-year-old child, if doing so will reveal
the location of the bomb?

I believe, police officers can do the torture to gain the necessary information on where the bomb may be
inside the school. Nonetheless, if the one that the police will torture is a two year old child of the
bomber’s, i would not accept the idea of it to be legal. As for me, a two year old child is still a baby. A
very fragile one that even a bit of hurtful words he might hear or a scene he might see could hugely
affect his life once he grew up even if it seems not to know what is happening. That experience will be
remarkable and will never be forgotten by the side of his mind. Really traumatizing as it can be. The
reason why I cannot find a reason for “torturing a two year old child” to be a right act. It is just wrong.
Therefore, if the police officers will only make a fool of the bomber, use the baby to have its attention
and tell impactful lies, I will even support them.

2. Principle of utility
Ziljane Severino Villacruz

BSA 1A

a. Consider discussing the following case: if fifteen thousand informal settlers live next to a
nuclear factory in a country torn by civil war, will you bomb the nuclear factory? If you do
not bomb it, it will produce nuclear bombs that can annihilate one hundred thousand
innocent civilians in another country.

This situation shows how it can confuse anybody. However, for the sake of the majority, sacrificing few
people would be better than sacrificing a lot of people. It is saddening that in circumstances like this, we
have to choose people over people just weighing who will benefit more. It is not right in other views but
is actually morally permissible.

b. Considering the principle of utility, when the only way to prevent harm to a large number of
people is to harm a smaller number of people (like Duterte’s War on Drugs), is it always
permissible to harm a smaller number in order to prevent harm to a large number?

Whenever selecting the most convenient course, utilitarianism does so with a larger notion of
convenience in mind. Utilitarianism is best for everyone who will be impacted ("the greatest number")
over the long term, not only for an individual or for the short term. Due process and human rights are
both considered with the least consideration by Mr. Duterte since, in his perspective, they are merely in
the framework of his fight against drugs. He believes that executing drug suspects is more sensible than
attempting to prove their innocence.

In the near term, it may appear burdensome to practice the law and acknowledge human rights.
Neglecting them will not simply fall short in addressing the issue at hand but furthermore make it more
severe in years to come, resulting in it being far less effective generally.

3. Justice and Rights

a. John Stuart Mill thinks that educating children properly with appropriate laws and public
opinion can prevent from developing questionable and objectionable desires. Do you agree?
Explain your answer.

I fully agree with that statement. Children should be aware or be informed about laws and public opinion
at a very young age because it prevents them from doing or making actions that are prohibited by law,
since there are numerous laws about certain aspects that you would not be thinking that is existing
unless you committed such. It seems that they are made for us not to commit inhumane or any wrong
doings so we shall educate or make ourselves aware of these laws. But certainly with the help of the
authorities by publicly announcing such necessary matters.

b. Does utilitarianism sacrifice individual rights in favor of communal ones? Can the prospect of
constructing a dam and benefiting millions or urban settlers be tolerable at the expense of
indigenous claims to ancestral domains?

Utilitarianism compromises rights for individuals in certain instances in favor of the common good.
According to utilitarianism, we should always do whatever will produce us the greatest amount of
happiness and whatever is necessary to prevent the greatest amount of unhappiness.Through this, we
Ziljane Severino Villacruz

BSA 1A

can determine what is morally right or wrong by assessing which of our future probable acts supports
such goodness in our lives and in the lives of others. It is just as we should always maximize happiness
regardless of whether we are deciding for our private lives or on concerns about the country. Because we
are to choose actions that will always produce the greatest amount of happiness.