On Utilitarianism in relation to the film Extreme Measures

21st of October AB – 4ELS On Utilitarianism vis-à-vis the flm Extreme Measures (1996) Extreme Measures is a lm that deals with the moral and medical dilemmas of which lies to !rioriti"e and the #uestionable ethics of doin$ bad thin$s to result in more more $ood% $ood% S!eci S!ecica call& ll&'' the lm leads us to dwell on the #uestio #uestion n of if it is morall& acce!table to (idna!' to ex!eriment on' and to (ill a few health& !eo!le for the sa(e of furtherin$ medical research on a cure for !aral&sis which debilitates millions) *r% *r% Lawren Lawrence ce M&ric(' M&ric(' a distin$ distin$uish uished ed neurolo$ neurolo$ist ist and medical medical resear researcher cher'' does exactl& that in the lm% +e ta(es homeless !eo!le dwellin$ under$round' who M&ri M&ric( c( insi insist sts s that that soci societ et& & woul would d not not miss miss'' and and uses uses them them as his his huma human n ex!erimental ex!erimental research sub,ects without their consent% -hrou$h his methods' he has made si$nicant brea(throu$hs in restorin$ mobilit& in !aral&tics b& inducin$ the $rowth of neres' at the cost of the man& lies of those who became his sub,ects% .ow' the #uandar& here has er& debatable answers% *r% M&ric( as(ed the !rota$onist' *r% /u& Luthan' at one !oint in the lm' 0f &ou could cure cancer b& (illin$ one !erson' wouldnt &ou hae to do that)3 +e also claims that !eo!le die eer& da& an&wa&' and his research $ies !ur!ose to' in his words' those with not much !oint to their lies' those that s!end their lies lost' cold' stoned or worse' those with no future% n M&ric(s e&es' the& become heroes who hel! further the boundaries of the medical eld% 5rom the !ers!ectie of act utilitarianism' which loo(s at an indiidual act and determines if it is $ood if it !roduces the $reatest ha!!iness or $ood for the $reatest number' M&ric(s methods would be acce!table% An act utilitarian would as(' 0*oes this this !artic !articula ularr actio action n maxim maximi"e i"e ha!!in ha!!iness ess or !rodu !roduce ce the $reat $reatest est $ood)3 $ood)3 -he answer from that !ers!ectie would be' 0M&ric(s method will ma(e life better for millions of !eo!le who will be able to wal( a$ain' so &es%3 Act utilitarianism loo(s into the context and circumstances of one act to ,ud$e if it will lead to $ood conse#uences for a $reater number of !eo!le%

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+oweer' a rule utilitarian would abhor such methods% 8ule utilitarianism doesnt assess indiidual actions for their utilit&' but rather it sa&s that an action is $ood if it conforms to a rule which' if $enerall& !racticed' would !roduce the $reatest ha!!iness for the $reatest number of !eo!le% So in the context of this lm' a rule utilitarian would as(' 0f all medical !ractitioners $enerall& relied on human ex!erimentation without the sub,ects consents' li(e *r% M&ric( did' to further their research' would it maximi"e ha!!iness)3 Others who beliee in rule utilitarianism would not see( to (now the details surroundin$ the act' but would rather answer% 0f  all doctors $enerall& followed *r% M&ric(s method as a rule' then what would limit them all from doin$ it a$ain and a$ain in an attem!t to cure eer& disease in the world) More !eo!le would die on the sur$ical table than be healed from whateer disease a9ects them% :hat would be the use of the doctors +i!!ocratic Oaths' in which the& swore to aoid harmin$ !atients and causin$ su9erin$) :hat about the best interests of those !eo!le who died due to ex!erimentation) M&ric(s method does not maximi"e ha!!iness due to these%3 Luthans rebuttal is similar in nature to the rule utilitarians !osition% Luthan adds' 0Ma&be the& are heroes% But the& didn;t choose to be% nit ?@1 of the m!erial a!anese Arm& which undertoo( lethal human ex!erimentation li(e iisection' wea!ons testin$' food and water de!riation' and in,ection of diseases' for biolo$ical and chemical warfare on tens of thousands of Allied !risoners of war% 6eo!le inoled in this were neer !unished' and were $ien immunit& !roided that the& $ae u! their data to Allied scientists% -he data receied lead to $reat' life sain$' brea(throu$hs in medical and een s!ace' research' similar to the moie which im!lies that Luthan will use M&ric(s data alon$ with better methods to further his neurolo$ical research%  ohn Stuart Mill' howeer' es!ouses a eudaimonistic utilitarianism' which claims that a !ersons hi$her !leasures Chi$h culture' scientic (nowled$e' 6a$e 7 2

intellectualit&' and creatiit&D ta(e su!eriorit& a$ainst the lower !leasures Ceatin$' drin(in$' sexualit&' and restin$D% +e writes in his boo(' >tilitarianism 0 According to the reatest !a""iness #rinci"le ($) the ultimate end ($) is an existence exem"t as %ar as  "ossi&le %rom "ain' and as rich as "ossi&le in enoments' &oth in "oint o% *uantit and *ualit+ ($), his' &eing' according to the utilitarian o"inion' the end o% human action' is necessaril also the standard o% moralit+ .hich ma accordingl &e defned' the rules and !rece!ts  %or human conduct' & the o&servance o% .hich an existence such as has &een

descri&ed might &e' to the greatest extent "ossi&le' secured to all man/ind+ and not to them onl' &ut' so %ar as the nature o% things admits' to the .hole sentient creation,0 t seems to

sa& that an act is correct when it corres!onds to rules whose !reseration increases the mass of ha!!iness in the world' which is a ruleutilitarian a!!roach% :hether M&ric(s ex!erimentation was (e!t a secret or not' the fact remains that his human sub,ects led existences that were not exem!t from !ain and were de!ried of  ha!!iness when M&ric( too( them to his labs% :hile the $ood conse#uence of  M&ric(s research can be used for $reater satisfaction of the hi$her !leasures' it does not outwei$h the ne$atie choices he made while brea(in$ the rules or laws of  his !rofession and his oath% >tilitarianism is er& tem!tin$ to follow due to its stren$ths and irtues% -he rst is that it !roides a er& sim!le !rinci!le b& which to $uide actions *o whateer !romotes the most utilit&% +oweer' this can be contested b& sa&in$ that life is not alwa&s so blac( and white' and most of the time' one ma& not alwa&s hae the chance to wei$h or measure two or more actions resultin$ utilit&% -he second is that utilitarianism seems commonsensical in such a wa& that it !roides more clarit& than moral absolutism or uniersalit&% ts core is to !romote human Fourishin$ and reduce su9erin

%$-he third is that it addresses the !roblem of 

!osterit&% -he future $enerations dont een exist &et' so wh& should we sae u! our alread& scarce natural resources for them when the current number of !eo!le whose #ualit& of life is so bad is alread& #uite numerous) >tilitarians would answer that since our aim is to maximi"e ha!!iness' as lon$ as the #ualit& of life of future !eo!le !romises to be !ositie' we hae an obli$ation to continue human existence' to !roduce human bein$s' and to ta(e whateer actions are necessar& to ensure that their #ualit& of life is not onl& !ositie but hi$h%

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 -here are seeral !roblems with >tilitarianism' howeer% 5irst is that there exists a !roblem of how to measure ha!!iness and whose ha!!iness to !rioriti"e' and that a er& anal&tical mind is needed to #uic(l& decide whicheer action is the one that !roduces the most utilitarian conse#uences% Also' since it claims that one must al.as  do whateer act !romotes the most utilit&' eer&one is bound to consider the utilit& of all their actions' een their small ones% -a(e' for exam!le' that a woman has wor(ed all da& in the oGce' and then did all the chores' too( care of  her children' and !artici!ated in the communit& charit& eent% She wants to $et co9ee with her friends' catch u!' and relax' but utilitarianism sa&s al.as do what can !roduce the most utilit&' and that !articular action is to continue her ,ob' continue doin$ chores' and continue ta(in$ care of her children% -his !articular a!!roach ma(es moralit& a taxin$ and demandin$ thin$% Another wea(ness is that one utilitarian ma& hae a di9erent anal&sis of the situation and conse#uences utilit& and a di9erent ,ud$ment call to ma(e% -his ma(es it somewhat relatiist% -o use the moies situation as an exam!le' M&ric( wanted to force homeless !eo!le to be his health& human sub,ects to eradicate !aral&sis' which will benet millions% f  Luthan had been on a similar waelen$th' but had insisted that he use human sub,ects who $ae informed consent Cli(e those who were $oin$ to commit suicide an&wa&D Luthan would be utilitarian in that he considered the utilit& of riddin$ the world of !aral&sis and the utilit& of sain$ more !eo!le from bein$ ta(en and ex!erimented on a$ainst their will% >tilitarianism as an ethical school of thou$ht has its own meritable and #uestionable !oints% :hile it addresses seeral !roblematicall& debatable areas of  moralit&' it also has loo!holes in which more unscru!ulous !eo!le could ta(e adanta$e of% n the end' utilitarians' and !articularl& Mill' claim that what matters in moralit& are the !leasin$ or !ainful conse#uences of our actions% :hether or not a !erson !ossesses irtues !la& no role in ma(in$ such assessments% -his has the result of ma(in$ it seem li(e moralit& is a set of ambi$uous rules' rather than somethin$ internali"ed and natural%

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