Prostitution is one of the most controversial and constantly debated topics. Prostitution occurs when a person sells themselves for money to please others. It's illegal in many places, but still seems to be prevalent. The question that is often debated is, “Is prostitution ethical?” Utilitarian Jeremy Bentham and deontologist Immanuel Kant both consider prostitution to be an unethical act. They both have slightly different reasons why they believe prostitution is unethical. Bentham's method of hedonic calculus and Immanuel Kant's “means to an end” test, as well as duties to oneself, will demonstrate that prostitution is unethical. I will also defend the idea that prostitution is unethical. The ethical theory of utilitarianism is associated with the philosopher Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism is essentially the theory that good is what causes a person pleasure and bad is what causes a person pain. Bentham's utilitarianism is sometimes titled Act Utilitarianism because it focuses on individual actions. A “right” action, according to Betham, is one that produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Where a “wrong” action is one that would cause more pain than pleasure. Before committing an action, a person should consider the consequences it may have on the individual and others. Hedonic calculation is a method of determining how much pleasure or pain an action will cause. The hedonic calculation consists of seven criteria including intensity, duration, certainty, proximity, fruitfulness, purity and extent. Each criterion can be assigned a score between -10 (worst pain) and +10 (maximum pleasure). The action becomes ethical and moral if there is an overall net happiness for all those affected by it. An action... middle of paper... that fulfills one's duties to oneself is unethical. A prostitute is a person who gives up her freedom by selling herself, which would be equivalent to not fulfilling her duty towards herself. Kant also believes that if one person uses another as a means to an end, this is unethical. Prostitution is an act in which a client uses a prostitute for personal gain or as a means to an end. Jeremy Bentham's hedonic calculus method uses a calculation to understand whether a certain action is ethical by calculating the pleasure and pain the action would arouse. Doing the hedonic calculation on the act of prostitution would demonstrate that the prostitute's pain will outweigh the customer's pleasure. I agree with both of these philosophers that prostitution is unethical. There are many physical and mental harms caused by prostitution that I believe would make prostitution unethical.