In its political philosophy, utilitarianism provides an alternative to natural law and social contract theories by basing the authority of government and the sanctity of individual rights on their utility, or measure of happiness obtained. As an egalitarian doctrine, in which everyone's happiness matters equally, the rational and relatively simple nature of utilitarianism offers an attractive model for democratic government. It offers practical methods for deciding the morally right course of action: "...an action is right insofar as it tends to promote happiness, wrong in so far as it tends to diminish it, for the party whose interests are in question" (Bentham, 1780). To find out what we should do in a given situation, we identify the various courses of action we might take, then determine any foreseeable benefits and harms for everyone affected by the ramifications of our decision. Indeed, some of the early pioneers of utilitarianism, such as Bentham and Mill, fought for equality in terms of women's suffrage, decriminalization of homosexuality, and the abolition of slavery (Boralevi, 1984). Utilitarianism appears to support democracy since governments working to promote the public interest and well-being of citizens could be interpreted as striving for freedom for the greatest number of people. Although utilitarianism in its essence is a theory that calls for progressive social change through peaceful political processes, there are some difficulties in relying on it as the sole method for moral decision making. In this essay I will evaluate the effectiveness of utilitarianism as a governing philosophy by examining the arguments against it. For brevity I will refer mainly to Bentham and Mill's definitions of utilitarianism. In... half of the document... interests of all those who could be affected by the course of our actions. Of course, as humans we can never consider all possible choices, calculate and compare the consequences quantitatively, and be free of bias. Your obligation is to do the best you can, considering as many choices as possible. It could be argued that, in the capitalist climate of our current world, utilitarianism invites us to look beyond ourselves for the greater good. Wouldn't it be admirable if all governments could follow this maxim? To conclude on the same point by Mills, "Whether this be so or not, must now be left to the consideration of the attentive reader." Works Cited Bentham, Jeremy (1780), An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation Boralevi, Lea Campos (1984), Bentham and the Oppressed (Walter de Gruyer Press)Mill, John Stuart (1871), Utilitarianism (4th ed..)