Reference no: EM133194875

DISCUSSION QUESTION Do you find that any of the critiques of "Utilitarianism" apply here? Which? Explain. Be sure to review and incorporate if relevant the critiques raised in Chapter 8 and those referenced in the assigned videos

he relationship between actions and consequences is a cause-and-effect relationship, but not the kind we associate with the motion of physical objects, such as a row of dominoes tumbling down in predictable response to the falling of the first one. In human affairs the responses are never completely predictable. If Lucy curses Pauline, Pauline might well respond in kind, but then again she might bless Lucy instead. If Clyde strikes Hector, chances are Hector will strike back, but it is possible that he will turn the other cheek. Similarly, some people who grow up in crime-ridden, drug-infested neighborhoods become criminals or drug users, but others remain honest and drug-free.* And though children who have been neglected or abused by their parents often harbor anger and resentment throughout their lives, in some cases, animosity gives way to forgiveness and love.

The main difference between the laws of cause and effect in the physical universe and cause and effect in human affairs is that humans have the capacity to choose how they respond to events. To be sure, natural endowment and social conditioning exert a powerful influence and make some patterns of response more likely than others. (In Chapter 4 we discussed how these forces influence the development of conscience.) But in the vast majority of cases, these forces only diminish, rather than eradicate, one's freedom to choose. Free will enables people to resist outside influences, defy psychological and sociological axioms, and behave unpredictably.

*For a fascinating and highly readable study that debunks media stereotypes of inner-city neighborhoods, see Mitchell Duneier's award-winning Slim's Table: Race, Respectability, and Masculinity (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992).

Let's be clear that free will doesn't suspend the laws of nature. If a woman jumps out a fiftieth-floor window, she is not likely to get up and walk away, no matter how robust her will to survive. If a man sprinkles his mashed potatoes with cyanide, we can safely bet that he won't report for work tomorrow. (Chances are, he won't even make it through dessert!)

DEALING WITH PROBABILITY

The fact that people can and do behave unpredictably makes consideration of consequences more difficult than it might otherwise be. Often as not, we are unable to arrive at certainty but must be content with probability. A case introduced earlier (Chapter 1, inquiry 11) will illustrate. That case recounted the poignant situation of a young girl who was raised by foster parents from infancy and then, at age 9, returned by court order to the former drug addicts who had neglected her. The effects that must be considered in this situation include those on the real parents, the foster parents, and the girl herself. The effects on the real parents, of course, are beneficial. They gain a purpose for living and for remaining off drugs. They can overcome the terrible sense of loss and of failure that must have plagued them ever since their child was taken from them. Unfortunately, the foster parents experience almost the opposite effect: a feeling of helplessness, a profound sense of loss, and perhaps a bitterness about the seeming unfairness of the court decision.

The obvious effect on the little girl is sadness and confusion at being separated from the only parents she has ever known and at being given, like some inanimate object, to two strangers. But a deeper, delayed effect is also possible. Such an experience could leave an emotional scar on her. Will she be made bitter and cynical about human relationships? Will she be driven inward, avoiding the sharing of love and affection with others because of the subconscious fear that they, too, may be taken from her? Will she be filled with resentment toward her real parents and turn against them and all they try to do for her?Each of these possibilities is very real. Although there is always the chance that none of them may happen, and instead her suffering may enrich her life and her trauma may lead her to become deeply sensitive to the sufferings of others, such a happy ending seems rather unlikely. The effect of lasting emotional damage is more probable and thus is the best measure of the morality of the court's action.deos.