The Many Vs the Few

Anyone with just a rudimentary understanding of math get that Utilitarianism works. If you go out with friends and you have to pick a restaurant you ask for a vote. If only one says no to a restaurant while the other ten or five say yes, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

It is logical and obvious that trying to make happy or saving the most people over a lesser number is smart. If you have the opportunity to save a hundred people over ten, the bigger number is naturally going to be picked. It’s just common sense to do so.

Nevertheless, the problem with Utilitarianism is that it functions to a certain extent, and then it stops working. In theory, it makes sense and in real life to a certain extent it works. However, in general it doesn’t compute.

When a Utilitarianism approach is chosen, two things can happen, the first would be that, people just become a number, and it affects those who say they are a number and those who feel they are a number.

If people feel that others are just a number you find that people get careless with lives. Soon what was undebatable or a line that should never be crossed is crossed, because it’s always justifiable as it would benefit the many. What you find is that, sooner or later the person who makes the decision, suddenly starts trusting only their judgment to make all the hard decisions. Everyone is just the few to benefit the many, so everything is acceptable.

The second thing that can happen is those who feel they are just a number, no longer believe in the system or believe in their leaders. No man/woman left behind, that attitudes or saying people are precious give people courage and see themselves as a team. We're all in this together. Making them believe that others will care for them. So when they are all alone in the dark, someone is going to take the time for them.

When they are lost in the wild the chopper sent to find them in the wild is never too expensive. It’s not going to be an expense that could be instead used to pay for the many’s benefit. People need to know that they are important and not just a number.

Whatever happens or how people feel, either way, Utilitarianism creates an uncaring society. Every life form is precious. You can’t put prices on people as they are invaluable. The few are very important, as they represent what will we do as a whole to each other. That few is like our soul. If we treat them badly what will we do as to society as a whole?

Although it makes sense to have Utilitarianism, it doesn’t make sense, because humans don’t make sense, and what works in theory does not always work in reality. If you save a hundred over for the ten. You might find you lose them all. The ten you let die, and the hundred, who believe that you will do to them as you did the ten.