Greg Dykes
Computer Ethics
Assignment #2

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is not a proper method when making a moral decision due to
its focus on the end goal and not on the methods or actions taken when
achieving the end goal.

Utilitarianism is a follows the teleological approach to ethical theories.
It is defined as a moral decision or action taken when the end result is
highest in the parties happiness and the cost is lowest, no matter what
path that party takes.  Basically, interpreted as "For the good of the 
people, no matter how it is achieved."

This alone has major impact on moral action.  A man could ethically and 
morally kill another man, as long as he could justify that his death is
good even though murder is ethically wrong.  This however raises many issues
in today's world.  Capital punishment is technically murder in its simplest
form, however few people would reject the execution of a mass murder who
preyed on young children and elderly people.  However, that is murder and 
the killer's death would benefit society due to the pain and suffering the
murder causes his victims families.

On the same note, a man could rob and kill another man for his money.  Then 
justify this murder by taking the money and feeding his family.  The end result
is the murders staving family is fed, however another man is dead at this 
expense.

The book then mentions about a company monitoring its employees electronically.
This is then justified by the company saying that by monitoring the electric
work of the company would raise productivity.  At the cost of productivity, 
the employees lose personal freedoms of privacy in the work place.  The company
justifies this by saying the privacy of the employee is a price to pay for
the highest productivity level the employee can produce.

Looking deeper in this, what about the happiness of the employee in the 
workplace?  What about the personal freedoms of the individual as stated in 
the United States Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and
are endowed by their creator certain liberties.  Among those: life, liberty,
and pursuit of happiness..."

This company infringes on two rights that individual has of liberty and the 
pursuit of happiness.  He has lost his freedom of privacy and then working in
constant fear of his supervisor terminating him by an email he sent to a friend
or for a website he visited during business hours.  This "fear" jeopardizes 
the mental heath in the company and the retainment of its employees.  These
employees with soon seek a job at another company that does not monitor its
employees and thus the individual being happier due to his new found freedom.

In conclusion, utilitarianism is not a proper way to make an ethical decision
just because it is justified by the end result.  These end results can be 
manipulated by the seeker of happiness to justify immoral actions of an 
individual.  A proper moral decision should include the route of actions taken
by an individual.  An illegal act may bring about good for the people, however
it is still an illegal act.