What are the arguments in support of and against utilitarianism?

Answer 1

The good things about utilitarianism:•Considers the pleasure and pain of every individual affected by an action.•Considers everyone to be equal; does not permit an individual to put his or her interests or relationships first.•Attempts to provide an objective, quantitative method for making moral decisions.

The drawbacks of utilitarianism:

•Cannot assign a quantitative measure to all pleasures and pains.•Does not address the issue of some pleasures and pains that cannot or should not be measured-such as human life or human suffering. Remember the example of the Ford Pinto described in Section One?•Suggests the ends justify the means. Would lying or cheating be considered ethical if the end result is positive?•Emphasizes the amount of pain an action causes-not to whom. What if the harm is to your mother rather than a stranger?•Assumes outcomes always can be determined before an action is taken-yet, often, outcomes are unpredictable.