Since I never got any real help with this. I'll repost the question, reworded.

Question

I have to compare and contrast two theories in ethics. So I've chosen Utilitarianism and Hedonism. Explaining what each are, how they are used today, and a summary of how they are different.

Answer 1

Thank you for posting the names of the two theories.

Utilitarianism is the theory that the ends justify the means. In other words, a person can do anything so long as it accomplishes his goals. The wildly flucuating gas prices seem to be an example of utilitarianism. The companies want to make profits so they charge a lot to customers in order to make their big profits.

Hedonism is the theory that anything is good so long as it brings immediate pleasure. Young children are essentially hedonistic, as are those who overindulge in food or alcohol because they bring immediate pleasure without considering the consequences.

Check these sites for much more information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism

http://www.utilitarian.org/utility.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonism

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hedonism/