Philosophy Assignment 4

We are now in a position to compare and contrast Utilitarianism and Kant’s deontology. The following exercise of the imagination is designed to do precisely that.

• Assess the Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism and Kant’s deontology.
• Make use of the imagination and creativity in thinking about ethical issues.

Assignment Instructions

Consider the two hypothetical worlds below.
1. In which world would you rather live?
2. In which world would Mill find to be a morally better world? Why?
3. In which world would Kant find to be a morally better world? Why?
4. Which world do you think is closer (has more properties) to our world?

Answer the above questions in essay style (do not type the numbers in). Make sure you give me evidence that you understand Kant and Mill. Always separate your explanation of Kant from your explanation of Mill. Always use separate paragraphs for explanations versus assessments (e.g. “I agree” is an assessment.) 2 or 3 paragraphs should be sufficient for this assignment (1 or 2 paragraphs on items #2-4 on the list above and 1 paragraph on item #1). Each paragraph should be well developed (100 words or more) and be sure to use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Comment on two of your classmates posts.

World A. The land of good motives:
The good news about this world is that everyone living in it means well– they always act on good intentions. The bad news is that they aren’t very smart– they rarely achieve their intended consequences, and they often make things worse. There are few technological advances in this world, due to clumsiness. Even so, there are no ill-intentioned people living here. One can always find a friendly neighbor willing to lend a helping hand– never mind that in helping, something is apt to break.

World B. The land of good consequences:
In this world, everyone is driven by greed– every action is motivated by selfish considerations. Because of the money to be made from medical breakthroughs, there is virtually no physical illness in this world– greed-driven research has led to cures for almost all diseases. Similar benefits account for technological breakthroughs in virtually every aspect of life. In terms of technology, this is utopia. But watch your back: the people in this world would sell out their best friend for a dime.