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Ethics Essay

The document presents a moral dilemma between (1) sending $800 to save a dozen people from starvation in Africa or (2) giving the money to one's little sister for college books. The author argues that under both ethical egoism and utilitarianism, the morally right choice is to send the money to Africa. [1] Under egoism, helping others can gratify one's self-interest in feeling noble and actualizing altruistic values. [2] Under utilitarianism, more people benefit from saving lives in Africa than one person getting books. Alternative options exist to help the sister pursue her studies.

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Craig Juliene Navalta
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97 views1 page

Ethics Essay

The document presents a moral dilemma between (1) sending $800 to save a dozen people from starvation in Africa or (2) giving the money to one's little sister for college books. The author argues that under both ethical egoism and utilitarianism, the morally right choice is to send the money to Africa. [1] Under egoism, helping others can gratify one's self-interest in feeling noble and actualizing altruistic values. [2] Under utilitarianism, more people benefit from saving lives in Africa than one person getting books. Alternative options exist to help the sister pursue her studies.

Uploaded by

Craig Juliene Navalta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Question:

Suppose you have an opportunity to either: (1) send $800 to Africa to save a dozen people from
starvation or (2) give the money to your little sister to buy books for college. Which would you do?
Why? Explain which moral theory aligns with your decision-making process.

Answer:

Before everything else let me remind everyone that the concept of being right or wrong, good or evil
would be based on our reference frames which would be our normative theories on which do we
prioritize on rationalizing our actions to be right or wrong, moving on, given the situation, it would be
rational to do both things, but if you are only to choose one then it would be sending $800 to Africa to
save a dozen people from starvation and the following normative theories explain the ratio decidendi of
this dilemma.

1. Under the Ethical Egoism framework, the action is rational, the action is right. Remember
that under the ethical egoism framework to decide if the action committed is right you must
be able to advance your own best interest, and when we say best interest, it does not
equate necessarily to selfishness ,(Vaughn 83–178). Suppose our self-best interest would be
self-actualization, self-actualization that includes altruism, respect, and nobility. Should we
give the $800 to the African people we earn their respect, we save people, and that feeling
is gratifying. It makes us feel noble that we did a cause that saved lives of other people. That
may seem good for their side but also you advanced your self interest by pleasuring
yourself, actualizing yourself.
2. Under the concept of utilitarianism, again the action is rational, the action is right.
Remember that under the Utilitarian Framework, to decide if an action committed is
rational or right is when the maximum number of people are benefited, regardless of the
nature of the action or how was it committed. As long as it benefits the maximum number
of people then the action committed is right. (Vaughn 83–178)Should we give the $800 to
the African people rather than my sister it would align rational under the concept because it
benefited maximum number of people rather than my sister who would just benefit herself.

With regards to my sister, there are far more ways to help her, I can help her search for the book at a
local library, search on the internet, or search for cheaper book alternatives so she could also pursue her
studies.

Given the following reasoning, I decide to give the $800 to the African people starving, knowing that
under the aforementioned normative theories my action would be rational and right, with that I rest my
case.

Reference:

Vaughn, Lewis. Doing Ethics : Moral Reasoning and Contemporary Issues. 2008. 5th ed., New York, W.W.
Norton & Company, 2019, pp. 83–178, digital.wwnorton.com/45989/r/goto/cfi/4!/4. Accessed 22 Feb.
2021.

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