Utilitarianism

The belief that the value of a thing or an action is determined by its utility; ethical theory arguably proposed by Mozi (China 6th century BC) and in Modern Times by Jeremy Bentham and James Mill that all actions should be directed toward achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Utilitarians are not required to have perfect knowledge; indeed, certain knowledge of consequences is impossible because consequences are in the unexperienced future. Utilitarians simply try their best to maximize happiness (or another form of utility), and to do this, makes their best estimates of the consequences. If the consequences of a decision are particularly unclear, it might make sense to follow an ethical rule which has promoted the most utility in the past. Utilitarians will also note that people trying to further their own interests run into situations in which the consequences of their decisions are very unclear. This does not mean that they are unable to make a decision.