On his deathbed, Marie’s father makes her promise that when he dies she will donate $20,000 of his savings to the Flat Earth Education Program (FEEP), a group that he has belonged to for many years, and which promotes the belief that the earth is really flat. Marie, anxious to make her father’s final moments as happy as possible, promises. Two days after her father passes on, a massive hurricane strikes a coastal town to the east, inflicting enormous damage. Thousands of refugees are left homeless and without food or medical care. Desperate fund-raising appeals seek donations to help. Marie, moved by such appeals, decides to give the $20,000 to aid such efforts — and not to FEEP — in order to alleviate the suffering.
Has Marie done the right thing?
In your own words, explain Mill’s greatest happiness principle and suggest how Mill would answer this question. Be sure to cite instances of both positive and negative utility. Next, explain Kant’s categorical imperative in detail and discuss how Kant would answer this question.
Who makes the best case in the end? Why? Defend your response at length.
Understand: you cannot answer questions of this complexity in a brief paragraph. Explain yourself at length and attend to all parts of each question. Do not use direct quotes or close paraphrases of class resources or other online material. Formulate the issues in your own terms. Evidence that responses have been appropriated directly from other sources will result in a ‘0’ on the assignment and, in some cases, an ‘F’ in the course.
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