John Stuart Mill believed in an ethical theory known as utilitarianism. He stated, "Everyone should act in such a way to bring the largest possibly balance of good over evil for everyone involved." Mill believed the goodness of an act might be determined by the consequences of that act. Consequences are determined by the amount of happiness or unhappiness caused, and a "good" man is one who considers the other man's pleasure or pain as equally as his own. Each person's happiness is equally important. Mill believed that a free act is not an undet

Immanuel Kant had an interesting ethical system. It is based on a belief that the reason is the final authority for morality. Kant stated the creed of the enlightenment: "Dare to know." Actions of any sort, he believed, must be undertaken from a sense of duty dictated by reason, and no action performed for expediency or solely in obedience to law or custom can be regarded as moral. A moral act is an act done for the "right" reasons. Kant would argue that to make a promise for the wrong reason is not moral - you might as well not make the promise. Kant described two types of common commands given by reason: the hypothetical imperative, which dictates a given course of action to reach a specific end; and the categorical imperative, which dictates a course of action that must be followed because of its rightness and necessity. The categorical imperative is the basis of morality and was stated by Kant in these words: "Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will and general natural law." Before proceeding to act, you must decide what rule you would be following if you were to act, whether you are willing for that rule to be followed by everyone all over. Kant believed that the welfare of each individual should properly be regarded as an end in itself, "Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end." Kant believed that moral rules were exception less. For example,

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