Topic > Essay on Moral Right and Wrong - 1242

Believes in what is known as the Greatest Happiness Principle, which basically determines moral rightness and moral wrongness based on the amount of happiness it generates. This doesn't just apply to quantity. It is not a case where moral correctness is determined by making as many people as possible. It is where moral correctness depends on the enormous amount of happiness generated. So let's look at the previous example. If I pulled the plug, I would be giving a child a new chance at life. The amount of happiness shown would be immense for him and his family. At first glance, the morally correct response would be to unplug. But is the child the only one with a family? Is her happiness the only thing that matters? What if the man in the coma has a waiting room full of people praying for him to go away? Would the fact that his life had not been sacrificed have the same meaning for them as it would have for the child's family? In a situation like this, many factors must be taken into consideration. It may be that the man's family would willingly donate his organs because they understand that his chances of waking up are so slim and that they would have wanted to save the child's life as well. Whether it's a child's play or a conflict over which outcome generates the most happiness, Mill uses the consequences of actions to determine the morally right response. An easy way to understand this concept is to think of it as a