Q Consider one of the following cases: 1. Todd and Edna have been married for three years. They have had serious personal problems: Edna is a heavy drinker, and Todd cannot keep a job. Also, they have bickered and fought constantly since their marriage. Deciding that the way to overcome their problems is to have a child, they stop practicing birth control, and Edna becomes pregnant. 2. Regina is chairperson of her city's United Fund campaign. In her annual meeting with her staff of canvassers, she gives this advice: "Hit the business places first. Don't approach anyone who is walking alone in a hall or working alone in a closed office. Look for two or more people standing together or working side by side. Try to make them compete with each other in giving. Capitalize on their desire to show off and outdo the other person." 3. Jake runs a delicatessen in a high-crime section of a large city. After being robbed at gunpoint eight times in the past two years, Jake obtained a pistol permit and bought a pistol. Yesterday a man entered the store brandishing a knife and demanded all the money in the cash register. Jake moved to the cash register as if planning to open it. Then he quickly grabbed the gun hanging under it and, without warning, shot the man six times in the chest. Analyze the case in terms of the Utilitarianism. For example, what are the alternative actions and their consequences? What kind of information needs to be obtained in order to apply the Principle of Utility? Your explanations should have reasons that support them and make specific references to the Burnor and Raley text.
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