Who Is Fred: A Utilitarian Or A Deontologist?

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Gino Rimando Phil 186 Mrs. Lisa Bernasconi March 5th, 2013 Fred: A Utilitarian or a Deontologist? According to The History of Utilitarianism of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Utilitarianism is one of the most powerful and persuasive approaches to normative ethics in the history of philosophy. It is a theory in normative ethics holding that the proper course of action is the one that maximizes utility, specifically defined as maximizing happiness and reducing suffering which will bring more good to the society than any other system. If Fred was a Utilitarian, he would go to the authorities and tell them the illegal things that are happening in the company he is working for, but since he had signed a confidentiality agreement with the company he is not allowed to tell the…show more content…
By doing this, he will not only have to work for a company he dislikes, he will save a lot of lives as well since nobody is going to be smoking Greyarea’s product anymore due to discontinuity. This will also lead to a better and happier society, and that is what utilitarianism is all about. As for being a Deontologist, according to The History of Utilitarianism of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the word deontology comes from the Greek word deon, meaning “duty.” Deontology is the normative ethical position that judges the morality of an action based on the action’s adherence to a rule or rules. It is the ethics of duty where morality is duty-based. If Fred was a deontologist, then he would have no choice but to keep doing the assignments that were assigned to him by the company he is working for because that is his job and he is obligated to them no matter the
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