Examples Of Utilitarianism In The Lifeboat

Simply put, Utilitarianism states that one should act on what would bring the greatest happiness or benefit to the greatest amount of people. Therefore, a utilitarian would agree to push two heaviest passengers overboard to save the six. While it violates our morals to kill two people, a utilitarian would explain their choice with the integrity objection. In the situation of the lifeboat, one is faced with a situation that does not present a perfect outcome. However, a utilitarian would say that we must choose the best outcome, which in the view of a utilitarian, would be throwing the two passengers overboard to save the other six. A utilitarian could also use act and rule utilitarianism for the case of throwing the passengers overboard.