⚖️
Utilitarianism
Bentham & Mill
“Which option produces the greatest good for the greatest number?”
Evaluate each choice by its total consequences. Add up the benefits, subtract the harms, pick the option with the highest net positive. Ignores how the benefits are distributed — only the total matters.
When to use: Best for: decisions with measurable outcomes — policy choices, resource allocation, trade-offs where you can estimate impact on multiple people.
📜
Deontology
Immanuel Kant
“Am I acting on a principle I’d want everyone to follow?”
Some actions are right or wrong regardless of outcome. The test: could the rule behind your choice become a universal law without contradiction? Lying fails because a world where everyone lies makes lying pointless.
When to use: Best for: decisions involving promises, honesty, rights, or duties — where “the ends justify the means” feels like a cop-out.
🎯
Virtue Ethics
Aristotle
“What would the person I want to become do in this situation?”
Forget the rules and the calculations. Focus on character. A virtuous person acts with courage, honesty, compassion, and practical wisdom. The right choice is whatever a person of good character would choose.
When to use: Best for: identity dilemmas, relationship decisions, situations where who you’re becoming matters more than what you’re getting.
🌍
Social Impact
Rawls & Communitarianism
“Who else is affected, and do the most vulnerable benefit?”
Every choice ripples outward. Rawls’ veil of ignorance: if you didn’t know which person in the situation you’d be, which option would you choose? Prioritise fairness to those with the least power.
When to use: Best for: workplace decisions, family dynamics, community choices — any dilemma where power is unevenly distributed.
🧘
Personal Well-being
Positive Psychology
“Which choice protects my mental health and long-term flourishing?”
Not selfish — strategic. Chronic self-sacrifice leads to burnout, resentment, and worse decisions. Assess which option supports your energy, relationships, sense of meaning, and ability to keep showing up.
When to use: Best for: burnout crossroads, caregiver dilemmas, decisions where you’re the one absorbing the cost of being “good.”
🤝
Care Ethics
Gilligan & Noddings
“What does this situation demand of me as someone in relationship?”
Morality isn’t abstract — it lives in relationships. The right choice depends on context, history, and the web of care you’re embedded in. Prioritise responsiveness to the people who depend on you.
When to use: Best for: family obligations, friendship dilemmas, parenting crossroads, situations where the “rational” choice ignores emotional bonds.
🔮
Regret Minimisation
Bezos & Stoicism
“At 80, which choice will I regret not taking?”
Project yourself to the end of your life. Look back. The pain of failure fades; the pain of not trying compounds. This framework cuts through short-term anxiety to surface what actually matters to you.
When to use: Best for: career leaps, bold life changes, decisions where fear is the primary obstacle rather than genuine risk.
⚡
Second-Order Thinking
Systems Theory
“And then what? What happens after the first consequence?”
Most people stop at first-order effects. Second-order thinkers ask what happens next. Quitting your job (first order: freedom) leads to income loss (second order) which leads to either growth or panic (third order).
When to use: Best for: complex decisions with cascading effects — financial choices, strategic pivots, any situation where the obvious answer might backfire.