Final answer:
A utilitarian would consider the overall happiness, public health, and societal impact when deciding whether to legalize recreational drugs, focusing on maximizing net happiness for the most people. However, they might overlook individual liberties in their analysis. Utilitarians use cost-benefit analysis to determine if the benefits of a policy outweigh its costs.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering the issue of whether or not it is right to legalize illicit, recreational drugs, a utilitarian would take into account several factors related to the overall consequences of such a decision. A utilitarian would analyze both the potential benefits and costs on society as a whole. This includes the overall happiness, public health concerns, the potential reduction in crime and associated law enforcement costs, the impact on addiction rates, the implications for social justice and inequality, and perhaps the economic benefits of regulation and taxation.
A utilitarian focuses on maximizing the net happiness or utility—the sum of all happiness minus the sum of all unhappiness—of the greatest number of people. In the process, a utilitarian may sometimes overlook the significance of individual rights or liberties, which is a typical critique of utilitarianism presented by Libertarianism. Thus, while option b) correctly identifies what utilitarians would consider when deciding whether to legalize recreational drugs, option c) highlights a potential weakness of the theory in overlooking individual liberties and rights.
The primary concern for a utilitarian is not merely on economic benefits or personal preferences but rather the net impact on societal well-being, so options a) and d) do not accurately represent utilitarian thought. Utilitarians would employ a cost-benefit analysis to measure the overall impact of drug legalization on society and make a decision based on whether the total benefits exceed the total costs, which aligns with the broader goal of enhancing utility.