I am a student who is barely of a majority age and am still trying to make my ends meet. However, of late I have been forced to foot some bills for my parents based on the fact that unless I do the same, the bills will never get paid. I have tried to argue and reason with my parents about the same in vain. I am thus finding myself stuck with paying the bills or allowing out home to lose crucial utilities.
The General Ethical Theory of Utility
For a start, it is important to state that the theory of utility is based on consequentialism. Under consequentialism, right and wrong are not based on the action but rather on the consequences of the action. On the precise concept of the theory of utility, there seems to be a disagreement between John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham. Both agree in principle that an act is considered right or wrong based on whether or not it resulted in pleasure or pain. Their disagreement is based on the quantification of pleasure. Bentham argues that pleasure can be measured and can, therefore, be compared. Mill on the other party argues that it is not about how much pleasure an action brings but to how many people sentient person it brings the pleasure. If an act brings pleasure to many by hurting a few, under the theory of utility as expanded by Mill, that act must be considered as right. However, according to Bentham, if an action brings more pleasure than pain then the act is right and vice versa.
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Specific Methods and Insights from Utility
Among the popular methods of utility is the demandingness objection which is related to the elimination of any form of personal demandingness to the person making a decision. It is rational for any decision-maker to have a manifest bias towards the self. This will always have an exponential impact towards the decision being made. For example, if in a fraction one has to decide between their own death and that of a stranger, self-preservation demands that one protects the self at the expense of others. Mill, however, argues that all demandingness must be eliminated and the decision-maker must determine issues while considering the self as a disinterested third party. Both Bentham and Mill also agree that it is not possible for an actor to know the future and therefore determine the outcome of an action. Instead, the actor can rely on viable predictions based on a balance of probabilities. If unexpended contingencies affected a well predicted and anticipated outcome, the act can still be considered to have been right.
Application of Utilitarianism to my Case
I am then to use utilitarianism to determine whether if I ought to continue paying bills for my parents to my detriment. For a start, I have to become an independent third party in the issue and eliminate anything I feel about the subject. Among the feelings that I need to eliminate is the feeling of betrayal that my parents are letting me down by causing me to elect between paying bills and the entire family lacking amenities. My parents are not financially secure and struggle a lot to make the proverbial ends meet. In all fairness part of the reason they struggle is to cater for my needs too. This is, however, their obligation as parents. I am now able to make some money through great exertion as I am still a student. This money is not even enough for what I want to do. Having it provides pleasure for me and giving it away to pay bills provides pain for me as just one member of the family. If I decline to pay the bills, two parents are going to feel betrayed by my actions. Further, all of us including myself and my siblings might lack crucial amenities such as lighting and cooking gas. This means that in exchange for my having enough pocket money, my entire family will face particular misery. This becomes reduced to an issue on pleasure for one against misery for all, including the one enjoying the pleasure.
Arrival at and Justification of a Conclusion
It seems clear from the foregoing that as per utilitarianism, I should continue paying bills for my parents unless and until a viable alternative is to be found. Clearly, this is very unfair to me but under utilitarianism, I must consider myself as just one member of the family without any personal favoritism. My pleasures or pains must be considered as just those of one out of the many. The little pleasure that I will get the money I use to pay bills pale in significance when compared with the pain that might ensue in the case the bills are not paid.
Reflection on Utility
A village has food for only six children yet it has nine children. If the village tries to feed all nine children with the limited food chances are that six children will die and only three will be saved. Under utilitarianism, selecting six children and letting three starve would be the right decision to make. This example may seem extreme but it is also an accurate depiction of the theory of utility. It is on this basis that I believe that utilitarianism lacks a moral compass and also treats some humans as superior to others. It is, therefore, in my opinion, a wrong theory to apply to decisions that involve humans.
