Critics of Utilitarianism argue it can impose excessive obligations on individuals, such as risking personal harm.

• A. It imposes excessive obligations on everyone
• B. It disregards confidentiality
• C. It never considers outcomes
• D. It values intention over outcomes

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is the demandingness of utilitarianism: it can require people to make large sacrifices for the greater good. This answer best fits that critics’ worry because utilitarianism bases right action on whether it increases overall welfare, which can push someone to undertake significant personal costs or even risk harm if that leads to more happiness or less suffering overall. In other words, the theory can demand more from individuals than many find reasonable, since any action that improves total welfare is potentially obligatory.

The other statements miss the core critique. Confidentiality can be weighed against overall good in utilitarian terms, so it isn’t inherently disregarded as a defining fault. Saying utilitarianism never considers outcomes is incorrect because outcomes are precisely what utilitarianism boils down to. Claiming it values intention over outcomes describes a deontological or Kantian view, not utilitarianism, which centers on consequences.