In the example, is it ethical for the nephew to murder the uncle? The murder of the uncle might be argued to be ethical according to utilitarianism because the murder eliminates the misery of the uncle, save the lives of employees, and adds to the happiness of the nephew. However, if there is another alternative that produces even larger benefits and smaller costs than the murder of the uncle, than the murder of the uncle would be unethical according to utilitarianism. For example, the nephew could seek better medical care for his uncle in order to reduce the uncle’s misery, and try to convince the uncle to install the needed safety equipment. Alternatively, the nephew might blow the whistle on the safety problems to government regulators who then would require the uncle to install the safety equipment.
The conclusion in the example that murder might be ethical under certain circumstances bothers the critics of utilitarianism because they feel murder violates important human rights