Utilitarianism philosophers

The Problem

You’ve recently created a lifesaving drug.

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Jeremy bentham utilitarianism

Utilitarianism theory

Utilitarianism example

Utilitarianism vs deontology

You’re on your way to meet up with your investors, drug in tow, when disaster strikes. After the immediate danger has passed, you take stock of the people around you. One person is very badly injured: to save them, you’ll need to use the entire dose of the drug.

However, five other people were also harmed, and they only need one-fifth of the drug’s dose to survive. You cannot save everyone.

Utilitarianism founder

Either way, someone will die: one person or five. What’s the morally correct decision to make?

The Reason

In this moral dilemma, most people would argue that you have to prioritize saving the larger number of people if all the other things about the two groups are equal.

However, the philosopher John Taurek refutes such thinking. In his essay, “Should the Numbers Count?” Taurek argues that saving one person is just as morally sound as saving the other five.

How It Works

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