Utilitarians believe that we should carefully weigh the potential consequences of an action before we take it. Will the act lead to things that will make us, or others, happy? Will It make us, or others, unhappy? According to utilitarlans, we should choose to do that which creates the greatest amount of good (happiness) for the greatest num-ber of people. This can be difficult to determine, though, because sometimes an act can create short-term happiness but misery in the long term.
Another problematic aspect of utilitarianism is that It deems it acceptable-Indeed, even necessary-to use another person as a means to an end and sacrifice the happiness of one or a few for the happiness of many.