Common Good and Utilitarian

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Conjoined Twins: A Utilitarian Analysis

From the Utilitarian ethical perspective, the troubling case of separating conjoined twins (either against the parents' wishes or as a result of the parents' wishes) presents the following problems: 1) the high cost to perform the surgery ($1.5 million), 2) the fact that it is impossible to quantify the common good in such a personal, emotional, psychological, economical, life-and-death type of situation, and 3) the highly subjective nature of "the greatest good" in such a case. This paper will examine each of these three points to show how, from the Utilitarian perspective, the decision to operate in both cases, is immoral.

The first issue of cost is one that goes against the Utilitarian ethical system purely on the basis of a cost-benefit ratio. $1.5 million to perform a surgery that will kill one of the babies, leave the other impaired for life, and perhaps scar the parents (particularly those who are against the operation) is far too great a cost when considered in light of the benefits.

The second issue of quantifying the common good is impossible, since the personal, emotional and psychological toll is more qualitative in nature and thus impossible to completely foretell.

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When the economical toll is added (which can be quantified), the moral imperative in this case swings towards no surgery, as this would cut out the high economical cost of operation and alter the personal, emotional and psychological costs associated with the situation.

Of course, one could argue that the latter costs are worsened by not operating -- which is the point of the third argument -- that the greatest good in this case is too highly subjective for a Utilitarian solution to be possible. How can the life of the baby who is sacrificed be said to be worth less than the lives of the other stakeholders? The Utilitarian must consider that all stakeholders involved have their own opinion on the matter and that there is not likely to be any uniform or common consensus on which approach is the best. This makes addressing the problem that much more difficult as there is no clear way for the Utilitarian solution to be applied when the issue of subjective good is introduced. Discerning the objective good in this case is no less difficult, since the issue is one that is highly….....

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