Utilitarianism Is Inconsistent With The Demands Of Friendship

Friendship requires partiality and altruism. If one aims to build a friendship, s/he must show partiality by making sacrifices that benefit this friend in lieu of maximizing pleasure for all. Utilitarianism requires persons to act only in ways that benefit hedonic utility – maximizing pleasure while minimizing pain. Utilitarianism forgoes partiality and requires that an individual only commit actions that benefit the greater good. Thus, friendship – an act that requires partiality – and Utilitarianism – an act that requires impartiality - cannot coexist. This raises problems for the utilitarian because many persons would agree that friendship serves an integral function in any human life. It seems that no ethical framework should require persons to forgo anything central to our understanding of life as Utilitarianism might. A person who wholly espouses Utilitarianism cannot serve as a good friend because the two contradict each other. Utilitarianism requir es one to act impartially while friendship builds its foundation on partiality. Roadmap: In this essay, I will argue for Shafer-Landau’s suggestion that Utilitarianism is inconsistent with the demands of friendship. First, I will assert that a true utilitarian cannot also act as a true friend as result of the two having conflicting and contradictory ends. Next, I will object my original argument using the claim that Utilitarianism does often suggest that persons offer preference to their friends and family. Finally, IShow MoreRelatedEssay about Utilitarianism: Explanation And Study of Criticisms3046 Words   |  13 PagesUtilitarianism: Explanation And Study of Criticisms The dictionary definition of Utilitarianism is: The doctrine that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the guiding principal of conduct. When making a moral decision, we should look at the outcome of an action. Whatever brings the greatest happiness to the most people is the morally right decision. It is a consequentialist principal where the majority rules. It is also relative as each situationRead MoreBa 12n12432 Words   |  50 Pagesinformation about cross-cultural values is that it incorrectly assumes that everyone within a specific country holds similar values.   True  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  False    47.  Utilitarianism judges morality by the consequences of our actions, not the means to attaining those consequences.   True  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  False    48.  Three personality traits are care, utilitarianism, and distributive justice.   True  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  False    49.  One problem with applying the individual rights principle of ethical decision making is that one individualRead MoreBook Review5062 Words   |  21 Pageswell. He was shown as being inclined towards the Pandavas. He also manipulated the war in favour of Pandavas. His actions lead the author to question whether Krishna was indeed a God or a mere human. Karna – Karna is known for his loyalty and friendship. The book emphasises on his status Anxiety. The status was compared to different caste system in India and also compared with American and European culture. Ashwatthama – He was shown with a revengeful attitude and believed that end justify meansRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesEmilio drink water that you know will cause a disease, but it is clearly negative, and the probability of this consequence is 100 percent; that is, it is certain to occur if you tell Emilio you are sick. In addition, if Emilio finds out, then your friendship with him might end. This is also a negative, and one that is likely to occur, but then again Emilio might never find out what you’ve done. Finally, there is one more consequence worth considering: If Juanita finds out you broke your promise toRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesOrganizations Networked organizations allow people to communicate and work together even though they may be thousands of miles apart. Independent contractors can telecommute via computer to workplaces around the globe and change employers as the demand for their services changes. Software programmers, graphic designers, systems analysts, technical writers, photo researchers, book Challenges and Opportunities for OB 21 and media editors, and medical transcribers are just a few examples