What Is Utilitarianism?

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that states that the best action is the one that maximizes utility. Jeremy Bentham, the founder of utilitarianism, described utility as "the sum of all pleasure that results from an action, minus the suffering of anyone involved in the action." (Encyclopedia Britannica) Followers of utilitarianism have disagreed on a number of points, such as whether actions should be chosen based on their results (act utilitarianism) or whether followers should conform to rules that maximize utility (rule utilitarianism). In Bentham's theory, he argues that all social and political decisions should be made with the aim of achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. In the episode "Cassie and Steve"
of the MTV show catfish, the best friend Gladys and her cousin pretend to be a man with whom Cassie falls in love with. In the view of Bentham it can be seen that Gladys did what she had, thinking it would end in the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. This is because though she deceives her friend, she did in the end get her friend to straighten out her life. Cassie had someone to talk with whom she thought she could confide in and this led her to in the end, stop drinking, partying, and goofing off with school. The decision was ultimately made to benefit Cassie and all those around her who wanted to see her succeed so it can be seen in Bentham's eyes and as utilitarianism that the ends did justify the means.