Utilitarianism

by | Dec 28, 2022 | Arts

 

 

Review this short video on utilitarianism as well as the background readings:
Then & Now. (2017, May 30). Utilitarianism – John Stuart Mill [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Dr9954kaFBs
Once you have a firm understanding of utilitarian ethics, review the following scenario and address the corresponding questions:
A new virus is rapidly spreading, causing a worldwide pandemic. Millions of people have died or have been hospitalized. Low-income communities, communities of color, the elderly, and those with health conditions have been disproportionately affected. Healthcare systems are crippled in many communities. Millions of people have lost their jobs. Entire business industries are devastated and/or sent into disarray as a result of the pandemic.

A vaccine was recently developed which proves highly effective in preventing the spread of the virus. Government officials are strongly encouraging people to take the vaccine, and many other organizations are even mandating a vaccine. Many people are skeptical of the long-term effects of the vaccine and/or feel pressure from the government, individuals, and other entities to receive the vaccine. Although data exists that supports the need for a vaccine in response to the damage being caused by the virus, a sizeable part of the population believe the numbers to be inflated; that people are overreacting; and that their personal rights are being infringed upon.

You are a leader in your organization, and you have a responsibility to turn profits and achieve organizational outcomes in addition to acting responsibly to protect your colleagues, employees, and external stakeholders, and maintain the health of your organization. You need to make a decision on how, or whether, you should implement a vaccine policy at your organization. As a leader, you need to consider the demographics, backgrounds, and beliefs that make up the internal and external stakeholders of your organization, and make a decision that is in the best interest for all internal and external stakeholders within your organization.

Complete an essay that addresses the following:

Describe and explain the key principles of utilitarian ethics, including ideas like higher-ordered pleasures and pains, act and rule utilitarianism, etc.. What is the role of utilitarian ethics in contemporary business?
Describe and explain the key principles of stakeholder management theory. What is the role of stakeholder management theory in contemporary business?
Explain how, or whether, managers/business leaders should implement a vaccination policy in response to the pandemic. Explain how your position positively and negatively affects those of different demographics (e.g., race, religion, sex, politics, age, ability, culture, values, etc.). Provide in-text citations from objective resources to support your approach.
How does your position positively and negatively affect individuals and certain groups of employees within the organization? Provide in-text citations from objective resources to support your approach.
How does your position positively and negatively affect the organization as a whole? Provide in-text citations from objective resources to support your approach.
How does your position positively and negatively affect the external stakeholders of the organization? Provide in-text citations from objective resources to support your approach.

Take some time to review the materials and take a position on the issue. Write a 3- to 5-page assessment of the situation.

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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