Captain Balian’s Dilemma through a Utilitarian Perspective

Excerpts from the Paper

Captain Balian’s Dilemma through a Utilitarian Perspective
Captain
Balian’s
actions as an American naval Captain of the USS Dubuque that day on the high seas would have undoubtedly be different if he would have utilized a utilitarian framework in analyzing the situation presented to him. The foundation and main principle of utilitarianism is the concept that: the good is whatever brings the greatest good to the greatest number of people (Mill, 2008). Certainly, Captain
Balian’s
decision to deny the Vietnamese refugees passage on board the USS Dubuque was the actual and proximate cause to the deaths of some of the refugees. Thus, this paper will utilize an utilitarian framework for Captain
Balian’s
situation and demonstrate how the contrary...

.....cannibalism was not unforeseeable given the desperation of the refugees. A person with a utilitarian perspective would have considered all these possibilities.
Captain
Balian
, through a utilitarian lens, would have recognized that there was no reasonable justification to deny the refugees passage aboard the Dubuque; that on balance, allowing the refugees on board would have produced more positive than negative outcomes; and that it would have been foreseeable to him that the resulting terrible events could have happened.
References
Mill, J.S. (2008).
Utilitariansim
. (7th ed.). Charleston, SC:
Bibliolife
, LLC.
Souryal
, S. (2007). Ethics in criminal justice: in search
of the truth. (4th ed.). Newark, NJ: Matthew Bender & Company, Inc.