Today's utilitarianism was created by mixing Jeremy Bentham's account of utilitarianism and John Stuart Mill's account of utilitarianism. Jeremy Bentham's speech on utilitarianism focused on pleasure. He defined utilitarianism by recognizing the fundamental role of pain and pleasure, approving or refuting actions based on the amount of pain or pleasure caused by the consequences, equating good with pleasure and evil with pain, and measuring in return whether the pleasure exceeded the pain. This means that Bentham's utilitarianism takes an event and determines whether or not it should occur based on the pleasure or pain it will bring. Its idea is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain caused by choosing an event. In his discussion of utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill used Bentham's approach but changed the term pleasure to happiness (Cavalier, “Utilitarian Theories”). According to Aristotle, happiness is more personal than pleasure. By this he means that happiness is born from the soul while pleasure is born from an event or activity (Kaurt, “Aristotle on Pleasure”). By modifying Bentham's definition of utilitarianism, Mill made it possible to measure what is considered a good decision to have a more personal affect. Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism. It is a moral theory that allows a person to consider all possible outcomes and choose the one that they believe will bring the most happiness to the greatest number of people. This means that moral theory is not black and white like other moral theories, for example Kantianism. This moral theory is based on the person deciding the outcome that is best for the situation (“utilitarianism”). According to Mill's utilitarian...... middle of paper ...... happiness and pleasure in the world. Utilitarianism allows one to see the world in all its shades of gray while still allowing a person to make a morally sound decision. This is what distinguishes utilitarianism from the rest of moral theories. I believe utilitarianism is a sound moral theory. Works Cited Cavalier, Robert, Dr. "Utilitarian Theories". Online guide to ethics and moral philosophy. NP, 2002. Web. April 25, 2014. Kaurt, Richard. “Aristotle on Pleasure.” Aristotle on pleasure. Philosophy.lander.edu, October 9, 2009. Web. April 25, 2014 Pojman, Louis P. “Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism.” Exploring ethics. Ed. Steven M. Cahn. Third ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2009. 126-134. Print."Utilitarianism." California State University, nd Web. April 25. 2014. .