(This article discusses utilitarian ethical theory. For a discussion of John Stuart Mill's book Utilitarianism, see Utilitarianism (book). For the architectural theory, see Utilitarianism (architecture)) Utilitarianism is a theory about what we ought to do. It states that the best action is the one that maximizes utility. "Utility" is defined in various ways, usually in terms of the well-being of sentient entities, such as human beings and other animals. Jeremy Bentham, the founder of utilitarianism, gave this definition of "utility": it is the sum of all pleasure that results from an action, minus the suffering of anyone involved in the action. The philosopher John Stuart Mill developed this concept further. He included not only the quantity of the pleasure, but also the quality of pleasure. He focused on rules, instead of individual actions. Others have proposed a theory called "negative utilitarianism." They define utility only in terms of suffering. Utilitarianism is a version of what Elizabeth Anscombe called "consequentialism". Consequentialism states that the consequences of any action are the only standard of right and wrong. Contrast this view with virtue ethics, which enshrines virtue as a moral good. Some believe that one's intentions are also ethically important. Unlike other forms of consequentialism, such as egoism, utilitarianism considers all interests equally. Proponents of utilitarianism have disagreed on a number of points. Should individual acts should conform to utility (act utilitarianism)? Or, should agents conform to ethical rules (rule utilitarianism)? Should utility should be calculated as an aggregate (total utilitarianism) or as an average (average utilitarianism)? Though the seeds of the theory can be found in the hedonists Aristippus and Epicurus, who viewed happiness as the only good, the tradition of utilitarianism properly begins with Bentham, and has included John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick, R. M. Hare and Peter Singer. It has been applied the suffering of non-human animals, and the ethics of raising animals for food. Opponents of utilitarianism have raised a number of objections. Some say that utilitarianism ignores justice. Others call it impractical. Specific criticisms have included the mere addition paradox and the utility monster.

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