Important Features of Utilitarianism - Essay Example

?Introduction There are many theories associated with understanding what is good and bad. One of them is the Utilitarian theory which tries to emphasize what is the right thing to do. Utilitarianism lays its basic foundation on maximizing happiness, which makes the greatest good for the greatest number of people to have more significant value in determining what is good or bad. However, I am going to show in this essay that utilitarianism is not a good way to prove what is right by looking into its essence and philosophy in the context of socio-economic means of organizing society. To understand this further, I will point out communism is the philosophy of utilitarianism. In addition, I will justify that in essence communism is utilitarianism. Finding therefore at least one problematic issue with communism, as a socio-economic means of organizing society will then lead us to discover at least a significant drawback against utilitarianism. I will build up my case by introducing important features of utilitarianism, the association between communism and utilitarianism and the actual state of communism in Cuba. Important features of utilitarianism Based on the readings, I was able to sort some important attractive features of utilitarianism. The following are some of its considerable characteristics. One promising mark of utilitarianism is its emphasis placed on the welfare of each person. It strongly adheres to a moral act of doing the right thing that could substantially address individual welfare. It places no other significant value to anything other than this by trying to recognize individuals could feel pain and pleasure. Maximizing this pleasure is the good thing to do, and alleviating or eliminating pain is of the same paramount importance. This substantially fits into the general point of utilitarian theory to maximize happiness. The utilitarian principle also emphasizes the idea that it is a good thing to do if individuals could maximize their ability for making the best they can for the world. This means everyone has the opportunity to use maximum ability to make the world a better place to live in. This is pretty attractive as humans certainly do want to live in a world where there is no conflict, but everything around is for the best of sustaining their interests and preserving their lives. Thus, this would promote maximum happiness for everyone. By trying to maximize happiness for the greatest number of people, utilitarianism tries to promote the idea that impartiality is the right thing to do. Utilitarianism seeks not to focus on minimum needs, but rather the common good of the greatest number of people for maximum pleasures. It always looks forward to the welfare of the majority so it tries to promote impartiality in all circumstances or situations so as to be consistent with its goal to maximize happiness. For instance, advancing the lower classes as integral components of the majority in the case of communism is for the common good and it seeks to essentially maximize happiness. Thus, this makes communism as the philosophy of utilitarianism in a way that its existence can be viewed as a socio-economic means of organizing society, for the common good, and would therefore maximize happiness. Finally, another important feature of utilitarianism is its ability to address moral dilemmas. Some would try to emphasize that what is right could be subjective at some point. Everybody could claim their basic rights. It is here were conflicts and even moral dilemmas would arise. Utilitarian theory tries not to make this as a problem by being consistent with the idea that if the majority is happy then a certain action is good, but if a certain move does not create maximum pleasure for most of the people then it is not the right thing. So there is no moral dilemma considered in the utilitarian principle making it less problematic in understanding morality. It does not further ask what right does the majority has over the minority for as long as the majority is happy. These are some elemental features of utilitarian principle that we could further elaborate later in order to point out some significant drawbacks associated with it. Let us now proceed to understanding utilitarianism and the communism in Cuba. Communism in Cuba As already stated, it is my point that in essence, communism is utilitarianism because advancing the lower class especially in the case in Cuba is maximizing happiness. After all, the lower classes comprise the majority in Cuba. Here, I am strongly referring to communism as the philosophy of utilitarianism by considering it as a socio-economic means of organizing society. For this reason, people are giving higher authority to the government to optimize its control for the hope of ensuring maximum happiness for the majority. Again, for this reason, Cuban people should absolutely have to lose their personal freedom and submit to the authority they initiated among themselves. People have to submit their personal property to the government and eliminate their personal ownership for the greatest good and maximum pleasure of the majority. As a result, people in Cuba have no right to grumble or murmur against the government if they happen to live in worn-out buildings. After all, the communist government holds the budget for all in order to redistribute each of it for the greatest number of people. Now, are the Cuban people happy with the prevailing communist government taking away all their personal freedom to at least take possession of something that might potentially maximize their happiness? Analysis The philosophy of utilitarianism in the case of communism in Cuba fails to understand the existence of personal freedom that is the most basic point that could maximize happiness. This compelled me to believe that the philosophy of utilitarianism is unrealistic when applied in the actual context based on the case of communism in Cuba. With this, the philosophy of utilitarianism in the face of communism is committing repugnant conclusion, being too presumptuous and ideal about the happiness for the majority by setting all things equal for all. Based on the communism in Cuba, I found that people would substantially loss their happiness when somebody’s freedom begins to steal or take others’. I believe that people would want to become absolutely free in order to explore and optimize every opportunity that could potentially increase the level of their happiness. I might be showing that communism is not consistent with utilitarianism. However, what I am only trying to show here is the thought that the essence and philosophy of utilitarianism are absolutely unrealistic in the actual context. At this point, I am attempting to elaborate my argument that what the utilitarian principle is trying to showcase are only “too good to be true.” I strongly agree that understanding and ensuring the welfare of the people requires great deal of consideration of their individual or personal freedom. Without this, there is no genuine happiness that could be developed. A reality check, an individual would not be substantially happy in a worn-out building knowing the fact that he could have chosen to live in a better one. On the other hand, though the government could be impartial at some point with utilitarianism, a starving nation cannot benefit the promise of maximum happiness since everyone has to share a little portion intended for all. In an impoverished nation, everyone would suffer under utilitarianism as there is a significant limit for individual capacity to improve due to lack of personal freedom just like in the case of communism in Cuba. This is simply not right. There is no moral dilemma in utilitarianism, in the same way there is no point at all to voice out what is right or good because every move is intended to be for the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Just like in the case of communism in Cuba, suppression of the freedom of expression is actually tantamount to putting limit to personal freedom. Conclusion Communism as the philosophy of utilitarianism limits personal freedom. It is for this reason that I just cannot take so much courage to agree with utilitarianism based on its essence and philosophy in the actual context. It is unrealistic and committing repugnant conclusion by creating false assumption of happiness for the majority, which has become the basis of the right thing to do that I find very impractical for implementation. We cannot just simply say the right thing to do will be for the greatest number of people if its associated value would be to give up personal freedom. What right does the majority has over the minority if the latter has something most important point to say compared to the former? Will we still be able to realize optimum happiness in the end? These are just some of the most important points I find significant to be taken into account and compel me to believe personal freedom is a much better way to ensure optimum happiness than the utilitarianism that is too ideal and would never be true in essence and philosophy in reality. Read More