As I read the article “Pig Kidney Transplants Take a Step Forward with Approval of Human Trials” for the Hot Topic Headline of this module, I was reminded of a subject covered in another course I am currently taking. In my Contemporary Moral Issues course, we previously discussed utilitarianism and Jeremy Bentham, a British philosopher also regarded as the founder of modern utilitarianism. According to Bentham and described in his book, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, the “Principle of Utility” is the idea that the ability to feel pain and pleasure is what makes an action morally relevant. Furthermore, he describes humans and nonhuman animals as “moral subjects” given that they both experience pain and pleasure. Taking both his theory and the article’s cases into account, it leads me to ask how he would view the moral issues presented by the article.

Jeremy Bentham describes “utilitarian calculus” as adding all the pleasure of the world to determine if an action is the best action to take. Applying this philosophy, it is understandable to believe that he would reject these procedures, as they may result in significant pain and suffering for the pigs. However, considering the possibility of significant global benefits from these advancements, what stance would Bentham take within the context of modern society and science? In this case, I believe Bentham would prioritize the greater pleasure and benefit for humans over the pain experienced by the pigs and ultimately accept the procedures. Utilitarianism is often considered to be “lifeboat ethics,” in which the greatest good for the greatest number determines actions to be morally right or wrong.

Kounang, N. (2025, September 8). Pig Kidney Transplants Take a Step Forward with Approval of Human Trials. CNN Health. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/08/health/pig-kidney-transplant-human-trial-fda

Morrow, D. (2017). Moral Theory. In Moral Reasoning: A Text and Reader on Ethics and Contemporary Moral Issues (pp. 171–174). essay, Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780190236120.