What is utilitarianism?

Utilitarianism is a way of thinking about what’s best for everyone, like choosing the most fun game to play so all your friends are happy too.

Imagine you and your friends are deciding whether to go to the park or stay home playing video games. If you pick the park, everyone gets to run around and play tag. But if you stay home, some of your friends might be bored because they don’t like video games as much. A utilitarian would choose the park, because it makes more people happy overall.

When you're choosing between things, a utilitarian thinks about what will make the most people feel good. It’s like when your parents decide whether to buy ice cream or cake for your birthday party, they pick whichever one makes most of you excited!

Sometimes, being fair means someone might not get exactly what they want. But if it makes more people happy overall, that's still a win in the utilitarian world.

So next time you're choosing between two fun things, remember: you're already thinking like a utilitarian! Utilitarianism is a way of thinking about what’s best for everyone, like choosing the most fun game to play so all your friends are happy too.

Imagine you and your friends are deciding whether to go to the park or stay home playing video games. If you pick the park, everyone gets to run around and play tag. But if you stay home, some of your friends might be bored because they don’t like video games as much. A utilitarian would choose the park, because it makes more people happy overall.