аЯрЁБс>ўџ 24ўџџџ1џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС‰@ №Пx!jbjbq”q” 0ііxџџџџџџlъъъъъъъjjjjj vjѕъ––––––––ВДДДДДД,п џnръ–––––р ъъ–––   –.ъ–ъ–В ў646ъъъъ–В Ј ВъъВŠ 9?€НjjФFВВѕѕВm mВ УхRobert J. Olague ARLT 100 – Section 47451 S. Lloyd 9/29/04 Gideon’s Utilitarian Dilemma Star Trek is an ethically questioning show, with sometimes challenging scenarios in which it is hard to condemn what may seem justifiable. One such episode in the original series, Episode 72, “the Mark of Gideon”, proposed Utilitarianism as a questionable method in which the means to an end left the viewer uncomfortable. “The Marl of Gideon” suggested that even though the end result was better than the status quo, the method, Utilitarianism, was flawed. Utilitarianism is a moral theory in which the Principle of Utility is the most important goal. The principle of Utility is to maximize pleasure. In simple terms, Utilitarianism states that the ends justify the means, if the end result is to maximize pleasure. Utilitarianism has three types of acts: the objectively right act, which maximizes utility, the subjectively right act, in which on believes will maximize utility, and the epistemically right act, in which one is justified in believing is the objectively right act. In “The Mark of Gideon”, the Prime Minister of Gideon, Hodin, attempts to use a disease present in Captain Kirk’s bloodstream to infect his daughter, who he hopes in tern will infect the rest of his planet in order to ease a massive overpopulation problem that cannot be stopped another way. His daughter is willing to sacrifice her life toward this end, which will ease the suffering of the planet, and eventually, applies the Principle of Utility, but turning Gideon back into a paradise and causing the greatest amount of good. Hodin’s attempt to trick Kirk into infecting his daughter, and her self-sacrifice seem inconsequential, according to Utilitarianism, as the ends justify the means. In unleashing this disease upon his planet, the Prime Minister of Gideon is pursuing the epistemically right act, in order to improve the quality of life for his people, and his community. “A measure of government (which is but a particular kind of action, performed by a particular person or persons) may be said to be conformable to or dictated by the principle of utility, when in like manner to tendency which it has to augment the happiness of the community is greater than any which it has to diminish it.” (An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, Jeremy Bentham) According to Bentham, the Prime Minister’s actions in the interest of the benefit to his community are naturally and ethically right. In terms of Utilitarianism, Hodin has done the right thing, as has Odona, his daughter. However, in this case, Utilitarianism seems to have not given the correct answer. While the actions Hodin and Odona have taken will produce the desired result, the self-sacrifice and the intentional introduction of fatal disease to the younger population of Gideon seems wrong. Viewers would not be completely satisfied with the resolution of this conflict, which asks if Utilitarianism is really the best solution. In Utilitarianism, what defines an objectively right act in this situation is something that would change the condition of Gideon back into a paradise for the people that live there. The people of Gideon’s unwillingness to act for the greatest good and implement birth control is self-defeating and could be considered ethically wrong. The important considerations, logically, are the methods by which the population could be controlled. There are countless methods besides the sacrifice of the disease-free environment that maintains the integrity of so many lives. When the situation is applied to Utilitarianism the only consideration is if the suffering will be outweighed by the pleasure of the inhabitants of Gideon. Bentham clarifies the importance of motive in Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. “It is vain to talk of the interest of the community, without understanding what is the interest of the individual A thing is said to promote the interest, or to be for the interest, of an individual, when it tends to add the sum total of his pleasures: or, what comes to the same thing, to diminish the sum total of his pains.” (An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, Jeremy Bentham) What Bentham is saying here is that though Hodin’s actions are the objectively right act, he is acting in his self-interest as well. The fact he is willing to let his daughter sacrifice himself is testament to a selfish grounding. Utilitarianism, however, justifies this by arguing that the ends are the most important thing, which is reducing pain to his community, but more notably, himself. Odona’s self-sacrifice in this episode is also of note because its noble intentions. Odona willingly acquiesces to her father’s commitment to a utilitarian solution to this problem. According to Utilitarianism, this is the right thing to do in order to increase the pleasure and decrease the pain in Gideon’s society, despite her personal demise. However, to viewers and Captain Kirk, it seems completely unnecessary. He does what he can to rectify the situation, and beams her aboard the Enterprise, to save her life, but the damage to the planet will be dealt, and the disease will be passed on. The sacrifice of her life seems to everyone but herself and her father to be completely unnecessary, even with the intentions of spreading the disease still intact. Kirk’s actions here indicate that Utilitarianism has not led to the proper choices, and that the means to an end are of consequence. The possibility of other solutions to the problem, Odona’s self-sacrifice, and the impending death of many youths make it appear that the actions the Prime Minister have taken are ethically wrong, when according to Utilitarianism, they are right. This leads one to believe that Utilitarianism is inherently flawed. One way to judge a moral theory is by its consequences, in which case this is an effective moral theory. However, if one feels that the answer to a particular situation is ‘known’, then a moral theory can be judged by whether it produces the desired result. In “The Mark of Gideon”, it can be argued that Utilitarianism’s means are also part of its end results, and it is the wrong theory to apply to the situation. It is also understood that if a moral theory is not universal, then it is generally a disproved theory. While Utilitarianism works toward the end, other moral theories may do so more effectively and have less of an effect on the actor’s conscience. "The Mark of Gideon"s final lesson is that one should not be comfortable with a moral theory simply because it the end result is better than the status quo. Utilitarianism justifies Hodin's and Odona's actions as morally permissible, and Bentham and Mill both justify the actions taken by them. Captain Kirk, as the morally superior figure in the Star Trek universe, opposes the plan because the viewers know that it is not universally applicable, and that Utilitarianism fails in this particular instance. ;<]я є1Х§ЄЇI†x!њѓюьььь6OJQJ 5B*ph B*ph *3;<YZ'(7 8 № ё Џ AЧШСТ–—џ– !Ђїїїїђ№ђђђђђђђђчђђђђђчччђђђ„аdр^„аdр$dрa$*3;<YZ'(7 8 № ё Џ AЧШСТ–—џ– !ЂЃy{|x!ќљіѓ№эъчфсолиевЯЬЩЦУСОЛ™ъџџšъџџюџџІяџџ=ёџџЅёџџІёџџzєџџ{єџџtіџџuіџџћіџџјџџKљџџLљџџќџџќџџўџџўџџтџџџуџџџЂЃy{|x!њњњњњdрАа/ Ар=!А"А# $ %А i4@ёџ4NormalCJOJPJQJmH H@H Heading 1$$dр@&a$5B*CJph<A@ђџЁ<Default Paragraph Fontx0џџџџ џџ z™ џџ z™ џџ z™ џџ z™ џџ z™ф ЈЪx ЌxЏx!Ђx!x!• ЁЁŠ’zЗ Л Ђ”˜3:z::::џџ Robert OlagueBMacintosh HD:Users:rolague:Documents:Classes:semester3:ARLT:gideonџ@€ЁЁиQ|ЁxP @GTimes New Roman5€Symbol3 Arial3Times 1ˆ№аhэу‰Fош‰f,ОГ -!№ЅРДД€0dъ!ч@№џџRobert J Robert Olague Robert Olagueўџ р…ŸђљOhЋ‘+'Гй0hˆЄАШдф ќ $ 0 <HPX`' Robert Jt obeRobert OlagueoobeNormalORobert Olagueo44eMicrosoft Word 10.1@єэŠ@~ЩЌЅФ@DмEІФГўџ еЭеœ.“—+,љЎ0є hp€ˆ˜  ЈАИ Р е'SCSD J- ъ  Robert J Title ўџџџ ўџџџ"#$%&'(ўџџџ*+,-./0ўџџџ§џџџ3ўџџџўџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџRoot Entryџџџџџџџџ РF€jŸЃдЅФ5€1TableџџџџџџџџWordDocumentџџџџџџџџ0SummaryInformation(џџџџ!DocumentSummaryInformation8џџџџџџџџџџџџ)CompObjџџџџџџџџџџџџXџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџџџџџ РFMicrosoft Word DocumentўџџџNB6WWord.Document.8