Gambling From a Utilitarian and Deontology Point of View Essay

Gambling From a Utilitarian and Deontology Point of View - Essay Example According to the study deontological and Utilitarian theories do not essentially forbid the involvement of gambling as a moral wrong but they show a moral basis which one should consider when deciding whether to dive into gambling or not. The moral status of actions relies on the character of God i.e. what is right and wrong in the eyes of God contrary to Utilitarianism that reflects the will and desires of man. Deontology may adjudicate gambling as honorably wrong. This is the case even in occurrences where nobody is hurt as a result of the act and actually successful results were achieved. Deontology submits that being honest is always right and mainly checks the action. Utilitarian school of thought on the other hand is seen as a hunt of one’s interests where one avoids pain and runs after that which makes them happy. Sometimes Utilitarian thinking cannot be avoided, but there are instances where consideration for other people should be taken up as a boundary so as to avoid purposely stepping on other’s toes to obtain one’s pleasure. Happiness is always a good thing and people consider it before they partake in an action or make the decision on whether to act or not. If there is something wrong in doing a certain act such as gambling, then this cannot be the purpose of pleasure as it should result into happiness. Therefore, gambling cannot be viewed as moral on the mere ground that people enjoy it. This is in accordance to Utilitarian views but there is the aftermath of gambling where a gambler becomes addicted. The Utilitarian proponent pursues the experience of the moment when the act is being done as it brings pleasure but they do not take into account what the gambler shall go through especially if they become hooked to gambling. Petrenko and McArthur in their work, High Stakes Gambling with Unknown Outcomes: Justifying the Precautionary Principle submit that, when actions done by people may lead to moral danger that should not be ac cepted, actions must be taken to avoid such harm. Gambling affects people of all walks of life, be they old or young, and this is irrespective of what their gambling is about. The problem is not the act of gambling that brings pleasure at the time but mainly its consequences afterwards. Gambling is tied with addiction and even violent scenarios that rarely end well. In the game of gambling, there is also trickery involved and this goes against deontological values that view for truth pointing out that one should keep their promise. The case of gambling is one against honesty and morality on one hand and pleasure on the other hand. As a common weakness of human nature, many people tend to go more for pleasure and towards the easy way out as opposed to that which is moral. Deontology propagates an array of competing theories on what decides the moral status of an action, whether the action is right or wrong.