Utilitarianism and moral rules essay sample

Utilitarianism is one of the concepts that seek to provide various justifications on practical questions and moral activities. In a consequence based notions, utilitarianism is asserted to include all the bad and good outcomes of an action, whether it arises before or after the act. According to scholars, actions of individuals in society should either be morally right or wrong. There are situations whereby utilitarianism is taken to justify the breaking of moral rules. In this case, utilitarianism is taken to be one of the teleological ethics; this implies that utilitarianism is a concept that derives moral or duty obligation from what is desired and good at the end that is to be achieved. It is critical to assert that utilitarianism assert that right rule, action, as well as a principle, is judged on the presumed consequences (Gert 122). A moral rule, on the other hand, refers to rules that individuals are taught to believe in them.
Perhaps, utilitarianism implies that the breaking of moral rules can be justified, especially if the consequences or the outcome is the best. As a matter of fact, utilitarianism justifies the breaking of moral rules by claiming that it is sometimes essential and morally right to break moral rules, such as telling lies and breaking promises (Sinnott-Armstrong, 306). In these cases, utilitarianism justify the breaking of the moral rules because it asserts that if breaking the moral rules leads to the happiness of a positive outcome, then the action is justified.
Undeniably, it is worth breaking the moral rules if adhering to it has a negative impact and takes away the happiness. Moreover, utilitarianism justifies the breaking of the moral rules if the action in question increases future happiness and satisfaction (Gert 207). Adhering of the moral rules in some occasion takes away the happiness of individuals; according to utilitarianism, such level of adherence should be broken. In the long run, the examples that utilitarian would consider to be cases of justified rule-breaking is when the adherence of moral rules derives away happiness, and if the breaking of rules leads to a good outcome and positive achievement.

Work cited

Gert, Bernard. Morality: Its Nature and Justification. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter. Rationality, Rules, and Ideals: Critical Essays on Bernard Gert’s Moral Theory. Lanham [u. a.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. Print.