Phi 208: Ethics And Moral Reasoning

End of Life Issues
Jermaine N. Hairston
PHI 208: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Craig Thompson
May 12, 2014

Euthanasia means “good death” but today the term is deemed as a merciful action to rid someone of suffering. In many cases we have seen terminally ill patients euthanized active or passive, yet for the sake of my essay I will discuss active euthanasia. End of life issues is a topic many families are faced with everyday more than one likes to imagine; however, imagine that you were a significant other who has a loved one in the hospital suffering from a terminal illness and their pain is unbearable that your loved one has decided to end his life and the subject of euthanasia comes up. What would you do? The
This type of view is less easy to systematize than the Consequentiality view. The second ethical theory The Egoist believes that the right action is always that which has the best consequences for the doer of the action, or agent. As with Utilitarianism, there are different versions of this doctrine according to whether the good consequences are seen in terms of maximum pleasure, minimum pain (Hedonistic Egoism) or in terms of other good consequences for the agent, such as his or her self- development or flourishing. At first sight, Hedonistic Egoism seems to prescribe a life spent trampling on anyone who gets in one 's way, and so to be ruled out as contrary to everything that is normally thought of as right. But ever since Plato philosophers have realized that in general human beings cannot maximize pleasure in that way. Most people are not strong enough to do this with impunity, and in any case most people need friendship and cooperation with others for their own happiness. So Hedonistic Egoism cannot be dismissed quite so hastily. However, occasions would arise where Hedonistic Egoism, like Hedonistic Utilitarianism, demands ruthless action. For example, it would prescribe involuntary euthanasia to a doctor or caregiver who would gain a good deal from someone 's death, did not care enough about the
One would consider when making a decision about euthanasia for an ill family member that according to Mill The utilitarian doctrine is, that happiness is desirable, and the only thing desirable, as an end; all other things being only desirable as means to that end. My interpretation is that in other words, we are to treat others and ourselves as a means to an end, and it would be immoral to use people and ourselves as a mere means. Happiness is something that can be experienced so far as we understand when we are alive. Mill also states that “… there is in reality nothing desired except happiness. Whatever is desired otherwise than as a means to some end beyond itself, and ultimately to happiness, is desired as itself a part of happiness, and is not desired for itself until it has become so.”Utilitarianism seeks to find an answer to why people behave the way that they do, and according to Mill our actions derive from the pursuit of happiness. I would argue that according to utilitarianism that one does not commit suicide in order to seek happiness as an