Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that dictates right from wrong by looking at the outcomes.

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that dictates right from wrong by looking at the outcomes. It suggests that the most ethical option is the one that will bring about more significant benefits to many people. It helps an individual to account for costs and benefits in a business. The application of cost-benefit analysis in non-economic matters is not ethically justifiable. In cases like the value of human life, everyone’s life matters and should be treated equally. Jeremy Bentham, in his theory, suggests that humans are led by pleasure and pain. Most people avoid pain by getting pleasure. He notes that most people are prone to punishing people who offend their preferences. He disagrees with the observation since it results in runaway punishments. John Stuart was a close follower of Jeremy but disagreed with him on the point about happiness. He was suggesting that there was no qualitative difference between pleasures but only quantitative, which led to criticism. A utilitarian would disagree with the idea of placing a monetary value on human life because he believes in good behavior and increasing happiness in people. Placing a value would mean that there will be discrimination between the rich and poor and could lead to inequality.