Utilitarianism from an Ethical Standpoint

While the idea of utilitarianism might sound very rational in that it promotes the greatest good for the greatest number, it has its limitations like any other ethical theory. I've picked a few examples that illustrates these flaws well.

Assume a hospital was four people whose lives depend upon receiving organ transplants: a heart, lungs, a kidney, and a liver. If a healthy person wanders into the hospital, his organs could be harvested to save four lives at the expense of one life. This would arguably produce the greatest good for the greatest number. But obviously this course of action is wrong from an ethical standpoint.

Another example is the "trolly problem." In the situation illustrated above, a utilitarian would pull the lever so that the trolly switches to the track that has one person tied down. To a utilitarian, a loss of one life would be for the greater good than a loss of five people.

In each of these examples, a course of action following the beliefs of utilitarianism would arguably create the greatest good for the greatest number at the end. However, the theory has limitations in that it only considers the consequences of action.