Online Gambling - Term Paper Example

Utilitarian theory is divided into several forms; act, rule, negative and preference utilitarianism. All these types of utilitarian theory were used to explain the actions of individual’s morals in the society (Pettit, 1993). In the case of online gambling, utilitarian theory would support the action if the outcome of the gambling process will yield greatest happiness to the participants (Harris, 2002). In this case the benefit would be financial; it disregards the laws of the land when it comes to gambling rules.

If the participant get maximum utility in their actions then that would be considered as morally right. As much as utilitarian theory focuses on utility there are some objections and difficulties in justifying the benefit generated by an action, firstly there is a difficulty in measuring the degree of pleasure or happiness, secondly it disregards the opinions of the majority, thirdly it neglects the motives and intentions of the actions and finally it gives emphasis on pleasure and disregards the impact of the action on the participants (Brandt, 1992).

Kantian theory is also known as deontology theory, it states that persons are obliged to act or behave in a certain manner regardless of the outcome or results (Blackburn, 2001). According to Kant some actions are considered as morally wrong even if they give a positive outcome, the outcome is judged separately from the action i.e. deontologists do not equate the right from a good outcome. The will to act determines the moral worth of an action and is the only thing that can be said to be good without qualification.

Good will is the action done in accordance with the moral duty or law. These moral categories are referred to as imperatives and are divided into the following types; Using reasoning and application of this principle we can identify if an action is morally permissible. For instance an action like online gambling could be taken as good. Imagining a scenario