Lenin, Stalin and Hitler all justified their actions in utilitarian terms, speaking of the regrettable necessity of doing away with whole classes and races in order to secure the long-term good of society. A sincere utilitarian never does wrong, he merely makes mistakes. At the same time, no one is in a position to accuse him, for who knows what the real long-term effect of his actions might be? Most of us would regard a moral philosophy which makes it impossible to pass final judgement on Hitler and Stalin as a kind of sick joke.
(Roger Scruton, Animal Rights and Wrongs, 3d ed. [London: Metro Books, 2000], 59)
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 