The Good Ideas Of Utilitarianism In The Movie Training Day

Good and bad are absolute, there can be no middle ground when it comes to doing what is right. This is what people have been debating since the beginning of time. Unfortunately this methodology is flawed and outdated. Ethics is this large gray area, with no definite right decision that everyone can follow. Their are so many different philosophies and theories on what is the ethical right and wrong, that is hard for an average person to make a decision that will not be question or debated. The belief that moral absolutism is the best choice is unrealistic because it works in theory but in the real world it will most likely fail, but Utilitarianism can be a good alternative to making moral decisions. Moral absolutism view actions as being right …show more content…
This movie seems to be more an extreme example of the advantages of Utilitarianism, especially as we are analyzing Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke characters. The movie depicts Ethan Hawke character of one who tries to do the right thing, and because of this he seems to get the short end of the stick. Denzel Washington character on the other hand makes immoral decisions and seems to rewarded for those decisions. I did not see this movie as a good example of the utilitarianism ideas. Denzel stole money and committed adultery, which are immorally wrong. We clearly see his intentions as being bad, because his caused others to suffer. This seems to be the opposite of the utilitarianism ideas. We are suppose utilize the best choice that will eliminate the least amount of suffering. Denzel Washington actions do not do this. His actions to steal money, and commit adultery caused many people to suffer so his choices were clearly wrong. Ethan Hawke may have suffer in the beginning because of his moral decision but in the long run it will benefit from those choices. He most likely will be a better cop, not be hated and chase down by bad guys and live and more happy and long life. So in the cause of Ethan Hawke character he made the best choice that would give him and people around him the least amount of suffering and negative …show more content…
These are attributes that honest, moral people are trying to obtain in their everyday lives. This remains me of stories were people sacrifice their lives to save their spouses, relatives, and children from pending death. These stories are often touching and very emotional because we feel that connection and bond with these people. If we thought of this as a person who believes in moral absolutism, this would be consider suicide, and because of this their sacrifice would be consider morally wrong. This again is showing another flaw of moral absolutism. When time is of the essence, utilitarianism can be a guide when we need to make a moral decision. It allows us to think with her heart and emotions, and not just our brains. This is what makes us different from animals and has enabled us to evolve into the people we are today. Utilitarianism allows people to live a happier life because they can make the choices that are best for them, their friends, and