John and Utility Ethics The utility ethics raised in John's situation focus on his doing what he believes to be in the best interest of his family: "You know that we can barely pay our bills," he tells his wife as a way to justify his theft. He further attempts to justify stealing from the company that employs him by making a number of points: 1) the company can afford it, 2) he has earned it for his years of service, 3) he is not sufficiently recompensed for all the work he does for the company. Ultimately, John concludes that he is doing what is best for the family even if, admittedly, "it might be wrong." The utilitarian principle, in John's mind, outweighs any other ethical concern; applied in John's case, it would hold that John's actions are moral in so far as they produce the greatest good and/or happiness. Clearly, John believes his actions promote happiness for his family -- though this is certainly debatable, as it is evident that his wife is more upset and worried about the avenue of additional income than would be the case were peace and happiness really obtained. Likewise, John does not appear to be taking into consideration the happiness of the company that employs him. While he rationalizes that the company can afford to lose merchandise and thereby "pay" him more, the company would surely fire John if it found out what he was doing. This would not only cause him to lose out on steady income of well-more than his theft is providing, it would also put a stain on his...
Thus, John's behavior is far riskier than he is letting on and the utility that he supposes to be supporting his behavior is simply not there as he imagines it to be.
Good Country People Some can't be that simple," she said. "I know I never could." This is how the story ends and somehow, it seems to cover the entire short story. What we see is not always what we get and the way that people do present themselves is seldom what we will also find deep in their souls. The short story presents a few casual characters, rather dull country people who
According to utilitarian ethical theory, a lie would be very moral indeed if it increased someone's happiness without creating detriment to anyone -- telling a child that their unintelligible crayon markings is a great picture of a house, for instance, boosts their self-esteem and helps them to feel loved, and no one in the art world suffers for this white lie. Utilitarianism also provides a solution to conflicting duties that
Paine writes, "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence, the palaces of kings are build on the ruins of the bowers of paradise" (Paine pp). For all his utopian depictions of colonial life, John de Crevecouer does write realistically of slavery, and like Paine's government comparison, Crevecouer also describes a loss of societal morals to commerce, concerning the issue of slavery. Of Carolina, he writes, Carolina produces commodities, more valuable
Aristotle, happiness and pleasure was moderation and a middle action between two vices. . So, for example, modesty would be a virtue as it comes between two extremes or vices; egotism and low self-esteem. Another example would be working sensibly. The two vices of working would be overworking and laziness. The middle option would be working sensibly. This, according to Aristotle, is the correct choice of action. He said
Tragedy of the Commons Few people would deny that overpopulation is a major problem. Even sparsely populated nations feel the brunt of the overpopulation problem because overpopulation affects the environment, politics, and the global market economy. The world currently holds six billion plus individual human beings, an unprecedented number. Rainforests are being cut down and soil depleted of their natural nutritive qualities in an attempt to please human appetites and keep
" Once famed for its salmon runs, the river is now controlled in many parts by dams that help to supply electricity to western cities, and also feed reservoirs for agriculture. In other words there is considerable competition for the same water resources, each possible use serving to prejudice another. Among the many scenarios proposed for alleviating the complex problems arising from this situation have been the creation of a
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