Ethical Issues In Eminent Domain

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An ethical issue that is commonly fought over is the concept of eminent domain. Eminent domain is when the government has the right to tear down private property for a public use or to improve the economy in some way, and the government then pays compensation to those who are affected in the building process. Currently, Clean Line Energy Partners proposed a plan to build power lines to carry “power generated by Kansas’ modernistic windmill turbines through sparsely populated northern Missouri, through the cornfield of Illinois and to a substation in Sullivan, Indiana” (Salter). Many of the farmers are upset with this proposal because of the fear the their property value will decrease and that it will interfere with farming. The ethical issue…show more content…
To begin, care ethics puts its focus on a certain individual and their needs in a situation comparing to utilitarianism’s view for the society as a whole and overall utility. In the ethical issue of eminent domain, care ethics is going to focus on the individual that is getting their property taken away by the government. Care ethics is really a social network of responsibility, and a care ethicist would look at this quandary and say that the government should not take away a person’s private property, or even find a solution that will make everyone happy. Utilitarianism is clearly a better system in this case because care ethics would do three things for this situation: take more time to solve, cost more money to make all happy, and in the end, might not be possible. First, Care ethics is going to take more time to solve this problem due to the fact that the government would have to figure out a situation in which everyone is happy: the city, the public in the area, and the private property owners. Second, it would cost more for the government to make everyone happy in the situation. If they want to take property, they will have to pay a great amount of compensation for the property owners to be happy, and once the highway is built, the rest of the public will be happy. Last, it might not be possible to make everyone happy. If a private property owner has sentimental value for their property, the government might not be able to pay how much the owner will be willing to take. So in the end, it might not be possible to convince property owners to give up their land, and not everyone will be happy if they do give up their land. All in all, utilitarianism is a more straightforward approach to a situation of eminent domain and a conclusion will be easier to reach comparing to care
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