A Tough Decision Utilitarianism For and Against by Bernard Williams. free essay sample

A philosophical discussion regarding the thought process of Jim, the central character in this book and an examination of ethics. In this paper the author discusses Utilitarianism: For and Against, a book by the philosopher Bernard Williams. The author attempts to delve into the mind of Jim, and ultimately see how the story might end. In so doing he considers Jims mindset as a pacifist and how he rationalizes thoughts and deals with issues of ethics. The author then looks at the theories of Kant in order to assess whether Jims decision making would have been different if he had adopted Kants theories regarding free will. From the paper: There is little time for Jim to make his decision: He is in the unique position to decide the fate of twenty individuals. In a mind characterized by introspection and reflection many thoughts race by: He knows what he must do, but the distaste of the act of sacrificing one for the lives of the other nineteen is most distasteful to him. We will write a custom essay sample on A Tough Decision: Utilitarianism: For and Against by Bernard Williams. or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He tries to reduce the horrific act in front of him by rationalizing that he does not know any of these poor souls; that it is not as if the life of someone close to him were at stake.