Utilitarianism derives from: 1) Actions which result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people. 2) Promote efficiency by comparing actions. 3) of Our judgments are universalizations (Van DeVeer, 1998). An example is the laws passed that “try to please everyone…” which result in confusion. The first doctrine evaluates options based on whether their consequences produce happiness or unhappiness. That is, we judge what actions give us the most happiness with the least pain -- the utilitarian calculus. We sum the goods, positives and then the bads, negatives. Then subtract the negatives from the positives. This result must have a net good for the action to be considered right, however, this is not without weaknesses. A princ

The problem with settling in a flood plain is the value and strength of the biotic community and the destruction and changing of the environmental elements that keep the flood plain’s ecosystem in tack are not considered. An example is the settlement of the Mississippi delta below New Orleans, LA. This area is a complex and diverse buffer zone for the inland areas. As activities destroy or change it this natural filter system and buffer zone depletes. With this, naturally developed areas used to protect the inland areas from floodwaters produced by hurricanes each year are not available. This reduction in buffer area allows the destructive forces of a hurricane to proceed unchallenged to deep inland areas that are not as well equipped to deal with its forces as the lower delta areas.

Smart, J C.C., PhD., Utilitarianism, 1997, PHL 203 - Contemporary Moral Problems, Longview Community College, Kansas City, Mo., http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/longview/socsci/philosophy/ethics/utility.htm

Van DeVeer, D., Pierce, C., The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book, 1998, Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, CA., http://www.thomas.com/wadsworth.html

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 1996, University of Tennessee at Martin

The conflict between the two ethical theories is evident in the human use of the flood plains lands. The utilitarian/economic theory sees the value only as portion of the Total Net Utility formula not considering the whole or that the individual is a part of the whole. This theory does not give any weight to things that does not increase human happiness. A person cannot destroy land that protects him from natural forces and expect not to be affected by those forces. In Aldo Leopold land ethic theory the individuals of the community have worth and that the individual need the rest of the members of the whole to continue. A person can expect if works with the whole both will be better off.

Martin, TN, http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/e/environm.htm

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1494
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)