Ethics

Module 05/Sample Format Application - Act Utilitarianism.html

Reread the case provided by the instructor

• PARAGRAPH 1 - Discuss Utilitarianism

• RESTATE THE MAIN ETHICAL ISSUE from Module 4

• CHART APPLICATION - Using the steps outlined in your text, apply each step to the situation. Fully show your application.  You must use a chart to receive credit.  

      Helpful hints - 

• You may copy and paste your analysis chart from module 4 - adding a row for the net utility of each option.  If I gave you feedback to correct your ethical issue, options and/or stakeholders be sure to make those corrections before you copy and paste your chart.
• Don't forget if a stakeholder is more than one person (a group, a family, a business etc.)  estimate how many are in the group and multiply the happiness number you generated by the number of persons in the group (see text).  If a stakeholder is one person multiplication is not needed  If the stakeholder represents a group of people (family, citizens) then multiplication is needed.
• CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH (last step in the application) - Choose the best option. If that person were a true Act Utilitarian  - what would that person have done. What would the Utilitarian theory say is the morally right or best thing to do according to your application?

 

SAMPLE FORMAT

 

Rose Charpentier

Dr. Hopkins

Ethics Applied

15 August 2017

Discuss Utilitarianism.............................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................................

Ethical issue - What should X do about _________________?

 

Scale = Happiness +10---------------------------0--------------------------- -10 Unhappy

Options →	X could	X could	X could	X could
Stakeholders ↓
Stakeholder 1 Name  (1 person)	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 1 will be affected by this option.  +10	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 1 will be affected by this option.  -10	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 1 will be affected by this option. .  -7	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 1 will be affected by this option. .  -7
Stakeholder 2 Name (1 person)	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 2 will be affected by this option. +10	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 2 will be affected by this option.. -10	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 2 will be affected by this option. notice -10	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 2 will be affected by this option. +5
Stakeholder 3 Name (1 person)	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 3 will be affected by this option. +7	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 3 will be affected by this option. -10	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 3 will be affected by this option. +10	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 3 will be affected by this option. +10
Stakeholder 4 Name (100 people (example the company))	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 4 will be affected by this option. +10 10 x 100 = +1,000	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 4 will be affected by this option..    -10 10 x 100 = -1,000	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 4 will be affected by this option. -10 -10 x 100 = -1,000	Briefly discuss how stakeholder 4 will be affected by this option. 10 10 x 100 = -1,000
Net Utility	+1,027	-1,030	-1,007	+1,008

Conclusion – The option with the greatest Net Utility, which will bring the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest number of people is for X to  __________________________________________________________.

 

Works Cited

Manias, Nicholas and Dave Monroe. The Moral Compass: An Introductory Guide to Critical Thinking and Applied Ethics. 1st ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2020.