We, as humans, are constantly on the lookout for the perfect situations. Taking a bite from the most meaty area from a pizza slice or choosing the more flawless half of a piece of material are mediocre instances that encompass this utilitarian cognitive framework. And it is this build-up in the mind that has allowed us to innovate through the stone and ice ages into the industrial, technology, and information ages of the modern-day.

On hindsight, is utilitarianism more boon or bane? Clearly, we can’t seem to cast any doubt on it that it helps us maximise our benefits, which can in turn motivate us cognitively to do better and achieve more. Adam Smith articulated the Invisible Hand which pushes every homo economicus to maximise their utility, which in turn creates the best possible output for society.

John F. Kennedy, on the other hand, asks “what you can do for your country, not what your country can do for you.” In a world where humans built to be communal are so competitive in partaking in the rat race with umpteen dog-eat-dog situations, have we stopped caring for each other? What is life all about, actually?

One person’s gain doesn’t necessarily need to be another person’s loss. That’s how, in economics, societal welfare is created.