Which ethical framework aims to maximize overall happiness or minimize harm for the most people?

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Evaluating actions by their consequences is the key idea here. Consequentialist ethics judges what’s right based on the results, aiming to maximize overall happiness or minimize harm for the greatest number of people. A classic example is utilitarian thinking: if a policy produces more total wellbeing even if it imposes costs on a few, it’s preferred because it improves the overall balance of good over harm. This stands in contrast to deontology, which bases rightness on duties and rules regardless of outcomes, and virtuous ethics, which focuses on developing good character and flourishing rather than calculating consequences. Relativist ethics looks to cultural norms rather than universal outcome-based criteria. So the framework described is one that centers on outcomes for the many.