NAME Alejandro Ferrero
OMELAS READING QUESTIONS
1. HOW DOES THE READING RELATE TO THE IDEA OF UTILITARIANISM?
WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE’S SOCIETY IS LIKE UTILITARIANISM?
Utilitarianism is defined as “maximizing the most pleasure for the most people”.
In the text, it is described a society in which there is just one kid who is suffering and
living a miserable life and the rest of the citizens are enjoying their lives living in
happiness. If the kid breaks free and starts to live the life in the same way that the rest of
the citizens, the happiness of that the vast majority of citizens would disappear, in other
words, what “holds” that state and atmosphere of wellness for the whole population is
that kid who is struggling.
2. IS THERE ANYTHING IN OUR SOCIETY THAT IS SIMILAR TO THE
ACTIONS OF THE PEOPLE IN OMELAS? DO WE ALLOW CERTAIN PAINS
AND EVILS TO EXIST FOR OUR BENEFIT?
I consider that the fact that there is a “first world” and a “third world” is based on the
same point of Omela’s reading; all we know that there are people suffering and living in
poverty in other countries but we still live our lives ignoring them and pretending that
they do not exist. We allow this to happen because if they were not poor people or they
just lived life like us, maybe our lives would not be as good as they are now.
3. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE, KNOWING THE HELPING OR
FREEING THE CHILD WOULD DESTORY THE ENTIRE SOCIETY?
This is a moral and ethical question. I would not really know what to do. Maybe I would
act like the rest of the people; it sounds really hard, but condemn the entire society just
for just one kid, makes the world not balanced. But on the other hand, leave that kid
living such a miserable life is not fair either. So definitely, it is a big dilemma.
As I said, I would have acted like the people described in the reading.
4. WHY DO YOU THINK SOME PEOPLE LEFT? WHERE DO YOU THINK
THEY ARE GOING?
