Essay On The Utilitarian Monster

How is the lottery an example of the utilitarian monster?

Utilitarianism concerns itself with promoting the best outcomes for the greatest numbers in order to be ethically acceptable, utilitarianism is a consequentialist approach which aims at results of actions regardless of how they are carried out. Utilitarian monsters, a term coined by R. Nozick, are those who “get enormously greater gains in utility from any sacrifice of others than these others lose. For, unacceptably, the theory seems to require that we all be sacrificed in the monster’s maw, in order to increase total utility”.(The Utility Monster, 2011)

The lottery is an example of the utilitarian monster because it raises money instead of raising taxes by encouraging gambling and

preying on human addictions and takes money from people who cannot afford it, even though the money supposedly goes to fund the arts, charities and social programs for poor people.
Lotteries can also be considered an evil monster that is of utility because it avoids illegal lotteries which do not serve a social purpose. (Brusseau, J. 2012)

How can you set yourself up to argue in favor of or against the ethical existence of the lottery in terms of monetized utilitarianism?

Monetized utilitarianism measures happiness in terms of money. The assumption is that happiness can be quantified. Buying lottery tickets can be seen as an ethical action if it gives happiness to the ticket buyer and to those who hope they will be the next winners. It can be seen as ethical since lottery buyers are adults gambling their money, adults who have a choice on how to spend it. The existence of the lottery can be deemed unethical in terms of monetized utilitarianism because all forms of gambling are stacked against the gambler. It is unethical because lottery players think that the money they spend buying tickets will eventually be won back. Lotteries encourage people to risk money even when governments know that the chances of winning are exponentially low. It is unethical because most of the money comes from those who can least afford it. (Brusseau, J. 2012)

Lotteries are about money and about fun—that is, even for the losers, there’s a benefit in the thrill of watching the numbers turn up.

Could the case be made that, from a hedonistic utilitarian standpoint, the lottery is ethically recommendable because it serves the welfare not only of the winner but also of the millions of losers?

Winning the lottery is a dream most people have; it is magical thinking, believing that you, the ticket buyer will be the one defying all the odds. The only ones, from the hedonistic utilitarian standpoint whosehappiness will increase are those who actually win the lottery, a very small number from among all the players. The hedonistic utilitarian standpoint is not ethically recommendable because the lottery is only selling the dream of winning it while filling the state coffers with people’s hard earned money. (Brusseau, J. 2012)
The probabilities of winning the lottery on a single ticket isone in 175 million, a very small chance and most of us do not realize that those odds are immensity low. (Wasserstein, R.L. 2013)

One of Lindsay Beyerstein’s concerns is that the lottery tends to redistribute money from the poortoward the rich. Does a utilitarian necessarily consider this redistribution

unethical?

A utilitarian does not consider unfair distribution unethical. If the act is good and it benefits the largestnumber of people, even if it harms others, it is ethical. (Brusseau, J. 2012)

References:
Brusseau, J. (2012). Business Ethics. New York, NY: 2012 Book Archive Project

Nozick’s utility monster. Available at: https://theutilitymonster.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/nozicks-utility-monster/ (Accessed: 5 February 2017).

Wasserstein, R.L. (2013) A statistician’s view: What are your chances of winning the Powerball lottery?Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronald-l-wasserstein/chances-of-winning-powerball-lottery_b_3288129.html