The First Application of the Principle of Utility

The Principle of Utility states that an action is right as it tends to promote happiness and wrong as it tends to produce the reverse of happiness. The principle of utility can be used in several different situations to decide if an action is morally right or morally wrong. In this case, a man named John is faced with the decision of whether or not to install anti-pollution devices, called scrubbers, in a new factory …

…greater than those few who are unhappy. It is also not known if John’s superiors know of the possible scandal if the scrubbers are not installed. If Senior Management did know, then it is possible that they would be thrilled that John and Alex saved their company from political scandal. No matter what is known and what is not known, John has a moral obligation to install the anti-pollution devices in the new factory.