Describe the utilitarian ethical theory

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Question

Thomas Donaldson is a Silicon Valley (CA) mathematician and computer programmer and family man with wife and children. He also has a brain tumor that will eventually take his life sooner than he desires. At 46 years old he is making plans to "extend" his life through a controversial, futuristic, scientific method known as cryonic suspension. Essentially it is a special freezing process of persons who die and have their bodies preserved in hope of future physicians and scientists to one day thaw them out, repair their ailments and bring them back to life. Since its proponents believe that the most crucial organ is the brain, the cryonics facility also offers to "freeze" only the head of a body for a reduced cost -- the thinking is that scientists will be able to grow back the body in the future utilizing saved DNA strands.

Donaldson's desire is to have the cryonics facility take him alive and freeze his head because he does not wish for his brain tumor to continue to devastate his brain if he were to stay alive until natural death. However, assisting suicide, or euthanasia, is against the law. Donaldson is requesting the California Supreme Court to 'redefine' the meaning of death so the cryonics suspension facility and its workers are not prosecuted.

1. Describe the Utilitarian ethical theory and define its key terms.

2. Identify the features (or implications) within the case study that this moral theory - Utilitarianism - would find relevant.

3. Evaluate how this moral theory (Utilitarianism), working with relevant features of the case study, reaches distinct conclusions about what should or should not be done...and why.

4. Summarize the strengths and weaknesses of this ethical theory (Utilitarianism) as they relate to the case study.

Reference no: EM133613008

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