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What is the difference between Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism

What is Utilitarianism?
You have probably heard someone justify their actions as being for the greater good. Utilitarianism is the ethical theory behind such justifications. It is a teleological theory of ethics, and it is the opposite of deontological ethical theories that are based on moral rules, on whether the action itself is right or wrong. Teleological theories of ethics look at the consequences the results of an action to decide whether it is right or wrong. Therefore, Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory.

Jeremy Benthams approach


According to Bentham, the most moral acts are those that maximise pleasure and minimise pain. This has sometimes been called the Utilitarian calculus. This calculus gave Bentham a method of testing whether an action is morally right, in that if it was good it would result in the most pleasurable outcome, having weighed up all the elements. Whatever is good or bad can be measured in a quantitative way. An act would be moral if it brings the greatest amount of pleasure and the least amount of pain.

John Stuart Mills approach


Mill also accepted that happiness is of the greatest importance. He stressed happiness rather than pleasure. Mill said that: By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and the privation of pleasure.

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