to cheat or not to cheat

To Cheat or Not To Cheat

Suzanne approached her friend Barbara in a panic . Her calculus test was the very next day and she was in no way prepared for it . Barbara however , knew that she could help her in two ways : she could give her extra tutoring , or she could show her the exam questions she 'd found while helping the instructor . Suzanne and Barbara could consult Jeremy Bentham or Immanuel Kant to help decide what to do

Jeremy Bentham was an advocate for legal reform who did a great deal

of study on moral philosophy . His moral philosophy can be divided up into three parts , thus giving Suzanne and Barbara two questions to ask themselves

The greatest happiness principle : To what extent would Suzanne 's actions promote happiness for everyone involved (Barbara , Suzanne , the instructor , and the other students in the class

Universal egoism : If Barbara gets the test questions , then her joy of knowing the answers and of passing the test will override all potential consequences

Artificial identification of one 's needs with others : Does Barbara need to pass this test just as much as the other students

Should Suzanne decide to give Barbara the test questions in advance , it is likely that Barbara will be able to work out the answers ahead of time , thus answering them correctly on the actual test . Under the greatest happiness principle , this would make Barbara happy for passing the test , Suzanne happy for giving her the questions (provided she didn 't get caught , and the happiness for the rest of the class would depend on whether or not the test was being graded on a curve . If the grades are given based on achievement and not on the achievement of others , than the rest of the class has no basis for concern about Barbara 's test score . However , if the test is being scored on any kind of a curve , then Barbara 's high score will necessary lead to lesser grades for other students , which would not promote their happiness . As this test score would be the result of cheating , this would further decrease the class 's happiness

If Barbara 's joy is as important as the joy of others involved (universal egoism , than her joy at passing the test will be great enough to cancel out any ill will on behalf of the other students . She should keep in mind that this joy will only continue if she takes this test as a warning and gets help with calculus , or if Suzanne continues to help her cheat . Finally , Barbara must compare her needs with that of other students : she might find that she needs to pass this test more than they do because she is the student who is the most behind in the class . If Barbara will be the most adversely affected by a poor test grade , than the third requirement has been met . Bentham 's theory of utility requires that .principle which approves or disapproves of every...