Introduction Utilitarianism is one of the approaches to normative ethics in the history of philosophy.

Utilitarianism is generally held to be the view that the morally right action is the action that produces the most good.

Numerous revision to utilitarianism led to various sects of utilitarianisms Classical Utilitarianism 20th Century Developments (Ideal Utilitarianism, Act Utilitarianism, Rule Utilitarianism, 2 Level Utilitarianism, Preference Utilitarianism)

The Classical Utilitarians, identified the good with pleasure, essentially they are hedonists about value They also held that we ought to maximize the good, that is, bring about the greatest amount of good for the greatest number .

Ideal Utilitarians disagrees with the hedonistic value theory adopted by the classical utilitarians. We ought to promote the good, but believed that the good included far more than what could be reduced to pleasure. Act Utilitarianism is a theory which states that a persons act is morally right if and only if it produces as much happiness as any other act that the person could perform at that time. Rule utilitarianism states that an action is right as it conforms to a rule that leads to the greatest good. Critics argued that rule utilitarianism will eventually collapse into act utilitarianism

2 Level Utilitarianism states that a person's moral decisions should be based on a set of 'intuitive' moral rules, except in certain rare situations where it is more appropriate to engage in a 'critical' level of moral reasoning.

Preference Utilitarianism insists what is good or bad for a given Individual, the ultimate criteria can only be his own wants and his own preferences.

Examples of Utilitarianism The use of torture in interrogation. A utilitarian would consider any action justified if it benefits the greatest number of people.
You could go with a hospital that has a limited amount of drugs or resources and had to choose between treating either a child or a brilliant scientist or some other person that could benefit society greatly.

Is a deontological ethical theory which states that the only intrinsically good thing is a good will; therefore an action can only be good when the principle behind it, is duty to the moral law. Central to Kant's construction of the moral law is the categorical imperative, which acts on all people, regardless of their interests or desires. His principle of universalisability requires that, for an action to be permissible, it must be possible to apply it to all people without a contradiction occurring. The formulation of autonomy concludes that rational agents are bound to the moral law by their own will,

Kant's Kingdom of Ends requires that people must act as if the principles of their actions establish a law for a hypothetical kingdom of ends.

Kant also distinguished between perfect and imperfect duties. A perfect duty, such as the duty not to lie, always holds true; an imperfect duty, such as the duty to give to charity, can be made flexible and applied in particular times and places.

We ought not to lie in any circumstances, even if we are trying to bring about good consequences, such as lying to a murderer to prevent them from finding their intended victim.

Kant viewed rationality as the basis for being a moral patient one due moral considerationhe believed that animals have no moral rights. Animals, according to Kant, are not rational, thus one cannot behave immorally towards them.