Philosophical Dictionary

Discover how Michel Foucault's panopticon theory explains our surveillance society. From Bentham's prison design to modern digital monitoring, learn how the fear of being watched shapes behavior and how power structures use surveillance to control populations.

Utilitarianism is all about maximizing happiness for the greatest number, a philosophy founded by Jeremy Bentham and refined by John Stuart Mill. Bentham treated all pleasures equally, which led to the joke: “If a pig’s happier than you, it’s better to be the pig!” Mill, worried we’d all become pleasure-chasing pigs, argued that higher pleasures (like thinking) are superior to lower ones (like eating).

Though noble, utilitarianism gets tricky—predicting outcomes and balancing happiness can turn life into mental gymnastics. After all, we can’t analyze every choice, not even pizza toppings!

We explain philosophy memes so you actually know why you're laughing.