Ethics Reflection Essay -- essays research papers

There is a firefighter who is obligated to make a crucial decision. Upon arrival to a five-alarm blaze, the firefighter must make a aliveness or death decision. There are two individuals unconscious(p) in the burning building, and only one can be providedd. unrivalled person is Dr. Rutland, a world-renowned pioneer in treating suicidal-depressives. The medication he has substantial has helped thousands of patients already, and when perfected, will save many more. The other individual is Dr. Rutlands secretary. macrocosm that only one person is to survive, who should be relieve?In prepare to decide what the good or ethical decision would be in this situation, one may look the utile philosophy of Mill. According to Mill, The guess of morality- that pleasure, and the freedom from pain, are the only things preferable as ends and that all desirable things are desirable either for the pleasure inherent in themselves, or as means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain. (Mill 1) Because Mill believes that in do to achieve morality, whatever will result in the superlative amount of pleasure and the least amount of pain will be the correct choice, he is a consequentialist. With all of this in mind, Mill derives a surmisal known as the Grea try out Happiness Principle. The GHP requires that in order for a decision to be virtuously right, it has to promote the greatest entire for the greatest number. Mill states, The ultimate end of the GHP, is an existence exempt as far possible from pain, and as rich as possible in enjoyments, both in point of quantity and quality (Mill 2), the quantity beingness the greatest number, quality being the greatest good. Mill also says that The utilitarian standard is not the agents own greatest happiness, moreover the greatest amount of happiness altogether. (Mill 2) According to Mills theory of utilitarianism, Dr. Rutland should be the one who is saved. Mills theory of the greatest good for the greates t number states that in any situation when one is severe to make a decision, the right choice will always be the one that benefits most people as a result of that decision. Dr. Rutland is a famous physician who treats suicidal persons. With his development of this medication, many lives have already been saved. With the continuation of research, the medication could be perfected, and many more lives could be saved in... ...he option of saving either one persons life who may save lives if he survives, or saving the two lives, a dumbfound and an unborn child, Kant believes that saving two lives is going to be chastely correct because it is saving more than one life now, not the theory of saving someone elses life later. If the secretary was the firefighters mother, there are two possibilities of whether or not the firefighter should save her, based on Kants philosophy. Using Kants second test to determine whether or not saving the mother would be morally right, the firefighter wo uld have to determine if the reasons behind saving his or her mother were because of a means to an end. For example, if the reason the firefighter wanted to say his or her mother is for his own sake, or for some other need, such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. If the firefighter were to determine that the reasons his or her mother should be saved were, indeed, for some means to an end, saving the secretary would have no moral worth. If, however, the firefighter determines that the secretary/mother is treated with the dignity and respect she deserves, whence it is morally right to save her.