Examples Of Utilitarianism In The Lottery

“A pretty summer day, every member of a rural village attends a yearly drawing in which everyone's name is entered. Because of its belief in an ancient superstition in which human sacrifice ensures good crops, the community stones the "winner" of the lottery, Tess Hutchinson.” “The Lottery” by Shirley Johnson is a short story used to induce the ineffectiveness of following traditions blindly and demonstrates a subjective loss of a human being in order to ensure the survival of others. Having thought of “The Lottery” one can relate it to an ethical theory called “Utilitarianism Theory”. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist ethical theory determined on maximizing the inclusive good. This theory confronts our well being by choosing the action that maximizes utility and the one that brings happiness to the majority of people while exploiting minorities. Utilitarianism is a normative theory that judges the action by how much of pleasure or pain it brings. However, some individuals would refuse to abide by the utilitarianism’s principles by criticizing the theory on several levels ranging from violating ones right, impartial decision makers, immeasurability, ignore justice, tyranny of the majority.

An example would be a wealthy person who’s in need for a transplant. If he/she offers to donate for a charity a good sum of money, he/she would be placed first on the list to get an organ transplant. But this cause the right for the next person to receive an equal right to have the transplant but because the wealthy person brings more good, has more right. Another critique would be regarding the impartial decision maker that does not allow special relationships and kinships to effect their decision. Demonstrating a train dilemma in which you have your family on a train and you have several people of discrete connection on another train.