Utilitarianism is one of the moral theories among the teleological theories. The main idea of the theory is that the classification of action on whether it is good or bad is based on the result rather than it abiding by the set rules ("2.3 Teleological ethics", 2018). Utilitarianism is divided into two main branches, act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism (Simões, 2009). This paper analyses the focus of rule utilitarianism and its focus on rule over action. Moreover, it discusses the ethical and unethical perspectives of the golden rule "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Rule utilitarianism is a subcategory of utilitarianism hence it bases the result of a rule to justify whether it is good or wrong. For instance, a rule that results to the greater good is likely to result to better good consequences and overrides individuals’ instances of deciding what action might result in good. Given an example of observing road safety, the open-ended statement of “observe road safety” leaves the drivers with the decision to choose the actions that would result in greater road safety. However, while driving, drivers’ judgment is compromised, and they may not be in a position to accurately determine what actions will result in greater good. As a result implementation of rule utilitarianism, involves the development of rigid rules such as stopping at the traffic lights, not driving while drunk, not exceeding 50 kilometers per hour in residential areas and always putting on the seat belt while driving. Observation of such rules is likely to reduce the risk exposure to road users ("Utilitarianism, Act, and Rule | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy," 2018).
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The golden rule “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” is a maxim that is found in many religions. However, it is viewed to either induce positive or negative injunction on conduct. Furthermore, it can also be viewed as either ethical or unethical. The golden rule is ethical in the sense that it gives the individual a judgmental obligation to treat others in a way that they would like to be treated.As a result a fulfillment of the obligation means the individual choosing good actions. This maxim is relevant in a situation where the definition of good and evil, and ethical versus unethical are common among the involved individuals. A typical example is members of the same religion. On the contrary, the golden rule is unethical in the following two instances. First, consider a case where circumstances are different. Applying the golden rule is unethical. A case in point is where a criminal defends himself not to be condemned to murder because the judge would not wish to be sentenced to death too. Secondly, it is unethical in individuals having different values and interests. Whereas individuals from the same social background may share the same interests and values, it is not always the case for those having different social backgrounds. Therefore, the application of the golden rule may result in harming the other individual (Jordan, 2015).
As discussed above, it is observed that rule utilitarianism focuses on the justification of rules that result in greater good consequences over individual instances of judgment. Furthermore, it is seen to focus on rule more that action because in some cases human judgment on actions is not reliable. Additionally, it is observed that whereas the golden rule governs human action, it is both ethical and unethical depending on the situation. Therefore, it should not be the sole cause of decision making.
References
2.3 Teleological ethics. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.soas.ac.uk/cedep-demos/000_P563_EED_K3736-Demo/unit1/page_17.htm
Jordan, M. (2015). Ethics and the Golden Rule, written by Harry J. Gensler. Journal Of Moral Philosophy, 12(6), 790-793. DOI: 10.1163/17455243-01206003
Simões, M. (2009). Rule-Utilitarianism. Ethic@ - An International Journal For Moral Philosophy, 8(3). DOI: 10.5007/1677-2954.2009v8n3p47
Utilitarianism, Act, and Rule | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.iep.utm.edu/util-a-r/#H4
