Link Ch. 14 – Spock Explains Principle of Utility

In the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the emotionless Spock performs a rational yet selfless act. He saves the crew of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise by entering a reactor room to prevent an explosion that would have killed everyone on board the ship. But in doing so he absorbs a lethal dose of radiation. As he dies, he justifies his actions to his friends with the maxim, “The good of the many outweighs the good of the few, or the one.” In this moment, Spock sums up the central tenet of the nineteenth-century ethical philosopher John Stuart Mill’s principle of utility: the greatest good for the greatest number.

Here’s a clip from Wrath of Khan where Spock explains this principle:

In this second clip from YouTube, a fan has edited down all of the film’s discussion of the principle of utility down to 9 1/2 minutes.  A great way to see this philosophical principle applied in popular culture. (This clip comes and goes in terms of availability. As of October 2014, it was available.)