Utilitarianism: Unread Replies And Required Resources
Utilitarianism4848 Unread Replies4848 Repliesrequired Resourcesread
Utilitarianism 4848 unread replies.4848 replies. Required Resources Read/review the following resources for this activity: · Textbook: Chapters 7, 8 · Lesson · Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook) Initial Post Instructions The principle of utility involves maximizing happiness as a desirable outcome of decisions. Although it does not get directly said, there is an inverse intention to minimize the undesirable outcome of disaster. Utilitarian decisions are directed toward outcomes—that is, the consequences of decisions. We need to look at results.
We first look at the actual results of an action. We judge if it was the best possible result. We can judge the actual results in comparison to other results that reasonably could be said to have been possible. If we do not yet have the actual results of an action, we do not know if it is moral or not. We can talk hypothetically about what might happen, and then what that would show about the morality of an action.
However, if we do not know what the action had as its consequences, we cannot yet say if it is moral or not. Initial Post Instructions For the initial post of this week's discussion respond to one of the following options, and label the beginning of your post indicating either Option 1, Option 2, or Option 3: Option 1: You are a nurse on a floor with only elderly patients. Every day, each patient tells you about how much pain they are in and asks you to help them. They want you to inject them with something to end their lives. If the patients die, the beds on that floor would be freed up for other patients. The hospital is at 100 percent capacity. There is no other hospital for 30 miles. Other patients may be not receiving care due to a lack of free beds. What is the moral thing to do here? Why is that the moral thing to do? What would an utilitarian say is the moral thing to do? Why would they say that? Compare and contrast the utilitarian approach with that of an ethical egoist or social contract theorist Option 2: A new social media app is offering itself to you for free. If you upload a picture to it, the app will show how you will look at 10 years. John Doe, a friend of yours, says not to use the app as it will then possess your biometric facial data. Jane Doe, another friend of yours, says that she heard the app shares the facial data with a security firm that helps the government detect terrorists at airports. Should you use this app? Why or why not? If John Doe is right, would an utilitarian say it is right to use the app? Why or why not? If Jane Doe is right, would a social contract theorist say it is right to use the app? Consider the role the Fourth Amendment at play here. Option 3: You are a nursing student at the XYZ College. It has a 50 percent acceptance rate (half the applicants do not get in). XYZ is a public college. XYZ has decided to implement an affirmative action policy. The college has few students over the age of 50. To encourage more students of that age, every student 50 or older will receive a bonus point. A student's admission is dependent on having 11 points. One earns points for a GPA above a certain score, ACT/SAT score above a certain number, having a letter of recommendation, etc. XYZ also lacks LGBT students, Muslim, and African-American students and is considering offering a bonus point for any student fitting those categories. What is the key moral conflict for XYZ? What social values should XYZ promote here? What are the interests of diverse populations involved, and what are their interests? Do you think XYZ's social action is the correct solution to lack of diversity? Why or why not? Factor the ethics of egoism and utilitarianism into your answer. Research/Visualization Project Digital Dashboards A Digital Dashboard is an electronic interface that aggregates and visualizes data from multiple sources, such as databases, locally hosted files, and web services. Dashboards allow you to monitor your business performance by displaying historical trends, actionable data, and real-time information. COVID-19/Vaccine Doses Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University Explore the digital dashboard below. Click away and drill down! 9ecf6 This assignment is to explore the dashboard specifically relating to vaccine doses. Prepare a spreadsheet using Excel 365, include the following: • Between 8 - 10 different countries, including the United States • Include the vaccine doses for each country • Create a chart of the data that best depicts the data Data tells a story. Explain what you learned about the vaccine doses around the world. Do some original research to validate your findings. What is the story of this data? What is the most important thing you would like users to see from your chart? Does your research support your findings? • 2 paragraphs, check spelling and grammar • Cite your sources Submit an Excel file and a word/pdf file that includes your summary and citations in APA style in Brightspace Assignment. Grading Rubric: Tasks Points Explore Dashboard, Research your findings Create a spreadsheet, include: 8 – 10 counties (1 United States) Vaccine rate data Appropriate chart (used correctly) 20 Summary and citations 2 paragraphs No spelling/grammatical errors 15 Submit 2 files: 1 excel file, 1 word/pdf 5 Total 40 Electricity Use Analysis This assignment addresses the following CCO Objectives: 2. Present environmental information using effective written communication 3. Describe, numerically and graphically, various presentations of data 6. Describe conditions that promote various ecosystems and appraise the impacts of human endeavors on them 7. Find, evaluate, use and cite variety of informational resources relevant to environmental science 9. Describe the impact of human activities on natural systems 10. Evaluate a wide range of cultural and social approaches to environmental problems 13. Assess the effect and importance of individual behavior in environmental issues 18. Develop informed views based on critical evaluation of information sources 19. Engage in problem solving of environmental issues Due Date: Please see the Assignment and Syllabus for Due Dates Credit: This activity is worth _____ points, see Rubric for details. Part 1: Home Electricity Use Journal All of us use energy in our homes. Most of the energy we use is in the form of electricity. Heating/Cooling systems use significant amounts of electricity, as does lighting and home office equipment. Some residents use natural gas-powered appliances in addition to those powered by electricity. Natural gas is transported to homes via pipes and is burned in the appliance as in a gas stove or water heater. Electricity is produced in a power plant and transported to homes via wires. To evaluate home energy use, specifically from electricity, you will monitor your personal home electricity use for 2 days. Record the amount of time in hours that any of the following appliances are operating. You may add other electronics/appliances to the list if you use them. · For items that are always on, your number of hours used is 24hours each day. · For items that cycle on and off automatically, estimate its run time as 8hours a day.1 · For lighting, remember that most lamps have more than one bulb. Multiply the number of hours the lamp is on by the number of bulbs in the lamp.2 · For technology items, they may have a ‘standby’ mode, which uses energy, but less than when in full operation. Make a note of how many hours ON versus Standby operation.3 Table 1: Household Appliance Run-time Device/appliance Day 1 Day 2 Total Time: Items that cycle on/off automatically 1 Refrigerator 8h 8h 16h HVAC unit Water Heater (De)humidifier Lighting 2 Total time: # incandescent bulbs: __________ # florescent bulbs: ____________ # LED bulbs: ____________ # night lights: ___________ Items that are “on†constantly Total time: Internet router 24h 24h 48h Cable box 24h 24h 48h Wall clock/alarm clock 24h 24h 48h Smart Home assistant (Alexa, GoogleHome) 24h 24h 48h Specific use items Total time: Microwave Toaster Toaster oven Stove top Oven Coffeemaker Clothes washer Clothes dryer Iron Portable speaker Electric razor Hair dryer Curling iron/flat iron Fan (s) Technology3 On / Standby On / Standby Total time: Cell phone charger 3h / 21h (charger plugged in) 1h / 23h (charger plugged in) 4h / 44h (total over 2 days) Game system TV 1 TV 2 Computer h / 14h (plugged in, closed) 2h / 22h (plugged in, closed) 12h / 36h Computer 2 Printer Part 2: Calculate your Personal Yearly Energy Use For each of the appliances you used (Table 1), multiply the number of hours used over 2 days by the number of watts. Then divide that number by 1000 to get kilowatt-hours (KWH). After everything is calculated, find the average daily use by dividing by the number of days included. Example: Example: I watched TV for 1.5 hours over 2 days. I have a refrigerator, it runs automatically. 1.5hrs x 300 W = 450 Wh 8h x 2 days = 16hrs x 750W = 12,000 Wh 450 W / 1000 = 0.45 kWh 12,000 W / 1000 = 12 kWh Example: I have 6 lights with 2 incandescent bulbs each which are used for 6 hours each day. 6 lights x 2 bulbs each = 12 bulbs, 6hrs x 2 days = 12 hours 12bulbs @ 50W each = 600 W x 12hours = 7,200 Wh 7,200 Wh / 1000 = 7.2 kWh If you want to find out what the wattage (W) is for something that is not given below (indicated by a blank instead of a number) then look on the back or bottom of the item, and it usually is written there. If it does not indicate the wattage, then look for the amperage (A). The number of amps multiplied by 120 (volts) is equal to the wattage. Example: This computer uses 1 amp x 120 volts = 120 watts Be certain, if you have looked up the wattage for your appliance, to cite the source or indicate how you discovered the value. Wattage for Typical Appliances used in the American Home Appliance Wattage Appliance Wattage Refrigerator (~16 cubic ft) 750 Microwave 1,100 Dishwasher (air dry) 1200 Stove (electric) 12,000 Dishwasher (drying feature on) 2400 Oven (electric) 12,000 Toaster 1100 Stove (gas) 2,051 Washing machine 375 Oven (gas) 4,836 Clothes dryer (electric) 5,000 Clock 4 Clothes dryer (gas) 3,224 Iron 1,000 Incandescent lights Check on bulb Hair dryer 1,600 Fluorescent lights 18 Electric razor Check on razor Radio (clock or other) 10 Fan 75 ceiling; 100 box Stereo (full size) 80 Computer + Monitor 200 on; 20 sleep mode VCR/DVD 19 Laptop 45 Cable/satellite box 45 Inkjet printer 5 if off, 30 if printing Wireless router 6 PS4/Xbox One 100 TV – 27†80 PS3/Xbox TV – 36†113 TV – 53†133 Coffee maker 750 Additional resources for finding the wattage of appliances can be found at: Matthew. (2020, April 13). Power consumption of household appliances. Generatorist.com, Retrieved from Schlossberg , T. (2016, May 7). Just how much power do your electronics use when they are ‘off’? The New York Times. Retrieved from Electricity Calculations: Device / Appliance #hours operating x Wattage of device / 1000 = kWh over 2 days Total: ________ kWh in ___ days Average daily total: ________ kWh Now, calculate the total energy used in a year (HINT: 365 days in a year): TOTAL: Average daily total _______ kWh x 365 days = ____________ kWh per year Part 3: Analysis and Conclusions In 3 - 4 well-written and logically organized paragraphs, respond thoughtfully to the questions below. Be certain to properly cite your sources in APA format with a full references list at the end of your submission. · How much household energy does the average American use? · How does your energy use compare to this average? (continues on next page) · What is the fuel mixture used to generate the electricity in your home? (Be certain to cite your sources.) · What is the carbon footprint (in kg of CO2e) for this electricity? (Show how you arrived at this value.) · If all the energy came from coal, what would be your footprint? · If all the energy came from a renewable source like wind, what would be your footprint? Because it is challenging to compare energy use from electricity between industrialized nations like the US and developing nations like Nigeria or Pakistan, the United Nations compares energy use in ‘kg of oil equivalent’. This data can be found online from the UN and the World Bank. · Convert your energy use in kWh to kg of oil equivalent ( 11.6kWh = 1kg oil ) · Identify the energy use in kg of oil equivalent per person in the US in the most recent year for which data are available. · Identify the energy use in kg of oil equivalent per person in Nigeria . · Identify the energy use in kg of oil equivalent per person in Pakistan . · How would you have to change your life to live like a typical Nigerian or Pakistani person? · How could you reduce your household energy use? Provide specific actions you could take to reduce energy use. · How could you reduce the carbon footprint of the energy you use? · Estimates are that 10 – 25% of household energy use is ‘vampire’ energy from items that are unused but on ‘standby’. What percentage of your household electricity use comes from items which are using electricity but are not being actively used by a person? HINT: Look at the Technology section of Table 1. Submission: Submit your Energy Use Analysis Assignment as a single document and upload it the assignment submission link on Blackboard. Your document should include both your tables, your essay, and references. You must use academic English in your response, and you must provide citations in APA for all information outside of your personal experiences (include in-text citations AND a full reference list)
Paper For Above instruction
The provided instructions encompass a complex exploration of utilitarian ethics, decision-making in moral dilemmas, and environmental impact assessments through energy consumption analysis. This paper will analyze three ethical scenarios under the principles of utilitarianism, compare them with alternative ethical frameworks, and evaluate the implications of energy use and conservation strategies based on personal monitoring and research.
Utilitarianism emphasizes maximizing happiness and minimizing suffering through evaluating outcomes of actions. The moral evaluation of the elderly patient scenario requires assessing the net happiness gained if the patients’ suffering ends versus the loss of life, framing the dilemma within the consequentialist lens. Utilitarians would likely argue that ending the patients’ lives might be justified if it results in greater overall happiness—for example, freeing up hospital beds to save other lives—though this raises significant ethical challenges. In contrast, ethical egoists prioritize actions that serve their own interests, potentially leading to a different moral judgment, while social contract theorists consider societal agreements and laws as guiding principles. The utilitarian approach often seeks the greatest good for the greatest number, which can conflict with individual rights protections (Mill, 1863; Singer, 2011).
The social media app scenario involves complex considerations about privacy and data sharing. If John Doe is correct that the app only possesses biometric facial data, a utilitarian might weigh the happiness or security benefits against potential privacy harms. If Jane Doe’s concern about sharing data with security firms is valid, a social contract theorist might argue that privacy rights and legal protections, such as those enshrined in the Fourth Amendment, are paramount. The utilitarian approach would evaluate whether the collective benefits of increased security outweigh individual privacy risks, potentially endorsing or rejecting the app accordingly (Solove, 2008). The tension between individual privacy rights and societal security exemplifies the diverse application of ethical frameworks and the importance of context in moral decision-making.
The context of college admissions introduces issues of fairness, diversity, and social justice. The college’s affirmative action policy seeks to address historical underrepresentation, yet it raises moral conflicts regarding fairness versus equity. From a utilitarian perspective, increasing diversity could enhance societal cohesion and overall happiness, but the benefits must be balanced against potential disadvantages to other applicants. Social contract theory emphasizes adherence to rules and social agreements, which could justify or oppose such policies depending on the perceived fairness (Rawls, 1971). An analysis considering the ethics of egoism and utilitarianism suggests that policies promoting inclusivity can be justified if they maximize overall well-being and improve social harmony, though they also risk marginalizing some groups if not carefully implemented (Glover, 2012).
The environmental component explores personal energy consumption, emphasizing the importance of data visualization and analysis. Monitoring household appliances over two days reveals patterns of energy use, highlighting the significant contribution of standby power to overall consumption. The comparison of personal usage with national averages underscores the necessity of energy conservation. The carbon footprint associated with electricity depends on the fuel mix used in power generation; in the U.S., coal remains a dominant source, contributing substantially to greenhouse gas emissions (EPA, 2020). Transitioning to renewable energy sources like wind reduces this footprint dramatically, aligning with sustainability goals (IRENA, 2021). The analysis also converts energy consumption in kWh to 'kg of oil equivalent', illustrating differences in global energy use and the need for sustainable practices worldwide.
To reduce household energy use, individuals can adopt specific strategies such as unplugging unused electronics, switching to energy-efficient appliances, and optimizing heating and cooling systems. These actions not only decrease energy consumption but also lower the associated carbon footprint, contributing to environmental preservation. Additionally, understanding and measuring ‘vampire’ energy helps identify the hidden consumption from standby modes, which can be mitigated with power strips and smart devices. Personal behavior changes, combined with broader policy initiatives promoting renewable energy adoption, are crucial steps toward sustainable energy practices and climate resilience.