A theory is an idea used to account for a situation or justify a course of action

A theory is an idea used to account for a situation or justify a course of action. The goal of a theory is to justify insatiable curiosity desires to explore and explain by sharing ideas with evidence, which may generally be accepted as truths by a wider audience or not. I think the components of a theory are basis evidence, reasons and logic. The theory that I chose to discuss is utilitarianism. The utilitarianism argues that proper course of actions is one that maximizes utility meaning by choosing the act that produces the best results for the greatest number of people is the best choice because it causes the least amount of harm. The utilitarian approach is a consequence based ethics and the moral decision is based on the outcome as opposed to the morality of the act itself or the agent performing it. I think you can know if a theory is valid by taking a look at the evidence or data presented. Evidence or data is what is presented to show if something right or wrong. Evidence plays a strong role in understanding if a theory is because it support why a person might appeal to the theory. The sort of data that might useful in utilitarianism is risk factor since this theory is based on the greatest good of the people. The difference between a theory and personal belief is that a theory y is built off data or evidence and a personal belief is a working truth because they come from personal experiences.

Mosser K,. (2013) Ethics and social responsibility (2nd ed) San Diego, CA Bridgepoint Education. Inc