Philosopy Utalitarianism

According to Webster’s dictionary Ethics is defined as “a system of moral principles”. Ethics in society sets a distinct set of rules in any culture; although all cultures differ they still have some set of rules in which people abide by. The U.S.S Shark-bait got bombed by a terrorist. Suddenly the 1000 plus passengers got whittled down to 120. These 120 passengers consist of men, women, children, pregnant women, the physically challenged and the elderly. According to the “law of the water jungle” only the 50 physically strongest people are allowed to live and there is only 50 seats on the lifeboat. The 50 physically strongest will be allowed to live. by using Cultural Relativism, Naturalism, Utilitarianism, Deontology, and Consequentialism we will understand why. All of these ethical theories differ in some capacity or another but the outcome will still be the same. These decisions are not easy to make but when you understand the differences between these ethical theories it will help you understand the “law of the water jungle”.

Using Cultural Relativism different cultures have different moral codes as well as different set of customs. Each culture has a different idea of what “right” and “wrong” is. Therefore, we cannot judge these people by our idea or what “right” and “wrong” is and must use their ideas. The Bible, Torah, Qur'an and the Bhagavad Gita, as well as other major religious texts are all interpreted differently and has a large impact on cultures and religions. Although it is hard to look at a different culture un-biasly we must try, trying to separate our ideas, views, and customs before judging can be difficult as well. With that being said, our own code is nothing other than our own; and is not any more special than the any other, it is only one among many more. In 21st century America we value our freedoms, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of thoughts. Americans can be selfish and sometimes they tend to look out only for themselves and not for the greater good. In a society where one can disagree and still be right, then no one can say that the 50 physically strongest cannot be allowed to be the only survivors on the boat. In a situation where it is literally life and death and one doesn’t know when they will be rescued can be a tough and sticky situation. People may disagree with a decision to have the 50 strongest people on the boat, while the mentally handicapped, children, and elderly are left to die in the ocean. That is fine, and “right” and “wrong” are only opinions and yes, again, they vary between different cultures. Americans may not see anything wrong with this decision, but maybe the Russian’s might. The decision is neither objectively right nor objectively wrong it is only an opinion. Cultural Relativism also states that