Question

Consider the concepts of utilitarianism, egoism, and social contract. What moral theory—utilitarianism, egoism, or social contract—is consistent with cooperating with the other prisoner and rejecting self-interest as the best option? What is the recommended course of action for each prisoner in regard to the other two theories?

Answer 1

Utilitarianism is the basic question in the discipline of ethics, "what ought a man do?" What should he do in order to get the best consequences of his action. Egoism suggests that self interest and personal motives lead to action whereas social contract suggests that morality is what most people accept and conform to. The theory of social contract seems consistent in the given situation. Recommended course of action for egoism is that each prisoner would execute actions for himself as the ultimate goal. They would betrayed each other by cooperating with the police. For the social contract concepts, those two prisoners would look out for what is in their collective interest and mutually decide upon staying silent in order to serve a lesser term in the jail.