Ethics, Morals And Values Essay Sample

Utilitarianism is a universal moral theory because its central principle is that people should not look at whether the actions are ethically correct or wrong, instead they should focus on the effects (Utilitarianism, Act, and Rule, n.d) . The more good an action results in, the more moral it is. Act utilitarian refers to the good or bad result of the action of one person while rule utilitarian refers to impacts of different types of activities. Rule utilitarian helps to view Act utilitarian from a modern perspective (Utilitarianism, Act, and Rule, n.d). An example of a situation is when a driver stops when the traffic lights are red. In this scenario, the act utilitarianism is stopping at the red traffic lights while rule utilitarianism is that all drivers are required to stop when the traffic lights turn red. This scenario brings out the act utilitarianism by making cars stop at the red lights that will help control traffic and minimize traffic congestion. Many people will experience the effect of this action. Rule utilitarianism states that following rules that will result in significant benefits are better used in all activities than only using them is one action (Utilitarianism, Act, and Rule, n.d). Several state government in America have legalized same-sex marriages; however, there are still others that are yet to. The action taken by these state government is an act of utilitarian because it leads to great happiness to a large number of people (Utilitarianism, Act and Rule, n.d). This is because everybody will feel that the government cares for them and their needs. The homosexuals cannot be harassed because the law protects and allows people to marry freely who they want. In Massachusetts, same-sex marriage supporters have continued to increase since it first legalized homosexual unions in 2004. Recent polls show that the number of same-sex marriages has increased from 50% to 60% from 2003 to 2013. Legalization of same-sex marriages helps everyone to be equal under the law additionally those who were against it now start to understand that these homosexuals are humans just like them (Utilitarianism, Act and Rule, n.d). Same sex relationships cannot be classified as either right or wrong, however legalizing same-sex marriages will give freedom to everyone to choose what they want. Those who believe that same-sex relationships are wrong can marry someone of a different gender while those who think it is right can legally marry someone from the same gender. Some of the challenges for the tourism and hospitality industry from a utilitarian perspective are, for example, when animals are locked up for the purpose of letting the public be entertained (Lieberman & Nissen, 2008). These animals that include whales are denied the freedom of living in the sea so as to make more money. This practice results in too many people enjoying viewing the animals; hence there is more happiness from this action. The public enjoys playing and touching the animals but on the on the hand the animals are denied the freedom to live in the big seas. From an egoistic perspective, tourists travel or go for holidays for the sole purpose of enjoying themselves (Lieberman & Nissen, 2008). This type of tourist does not care about the environment or even to learn about nature. Their primary aim is to get away, read a novel or to boost their social status. Hedonism is when tourist search for activities that will result to pleasure either physically or socially. This type of behavior will lead in problems because as these tourists pleasure themselves they may violate the rights of other visitors (Lieberman & Nissen, 2008) An example of a consequential ethical theory question is whether it is okay for a policeman to speed on the highway as he chases after a criminal. The policeman has to weight whether arresting the criminal will result to a larger benefit to likewise a large group of people. The work of the police is to arrest criminals and reduce crime in the society. Therefore, if the policeman does not arrest the offender, he will be doing any justice to the public. It is, therefore, justified for the policeman to speed while he tries to arrest the criminal.

References

Lieberman, K., & Nissen, B. (2008). Ethics in the hospitality and tourism industry (2nd ed). Lansing, MI: American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute.
Utilitarianism, Act, and Rule. (n.d). Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 4 April 2015, from http://www.iep.utm.edu/util-a-r/