Some objections to utilitarianism include that it (a) would sanction murder in certain cases, (b) fails to adequately respect the value of persons, and (c) makes many of our everyday pursuits and activities immoral because they fail to optimize consequences. Which of the following best summarizes the common criticism to all three objections?
A) Utilitarians moral judgments often conflict with the pretheoretical moral judgments we make in everyday life. As a theory, utilitarianism cannot explain them and the degree to which we think our pretheoretical moral judgments are true disconfirms utilitarianism.
B) Utilitarianism cannot account for the feeling of moral shame or regret that one might feel when performing the act that maximizes utility.
C) Utilitarianism demands too much of people's cognitive abilities to anticipate consequences.
D) Agents are more likely to reverse-engineer anticipated consequences to satisfy utilitarian requirements for a course of action they already favor than to actually investigate what consequences they should expect.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The common criticism to all three objections is that utilitarianism's moral judgments often conflict with our everyday moral intuitions or pretheoretical judgments, suggesting that the theory may not adequately capture our moral experiences or the complexity of moral decision-making.

Some Objections to Utilitarianism Include That It (A) Would Sanction