Briefly distinguish between act and rule utilitarianism.

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Briefly distinguish between act and rule utilitarianism.

Two people brought about act utilitarianism. First, Jeremy Bentham who is said that "an action is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number." Bentham thought that if you got more pleasure from an action than pain then it was alright to do it e.g. (if 10 people got pleasure out of an innocent man dying then that action would be just according to Bentham's rule). John Stewart Mill was the second man to talk about act utilitarianism, however he believed that it wasn't the amount of pleasure you get it's the quality of pleasure that mattered the most. Mill also thought that pleasures of the mind mattered more than pleasures of the body. So reading classical literature would generate more pleasure than playing sports and writing a poem would produce greater pleasure than dancing.

Act utilitarianism is based on the 'Principle of Utility' which says, "an action ought to be done if it brings out the maximum possible happiness for those parties affected by the action". Its theories are based on 'Hedonism' and the 'Hedonic calculus' which adds up human pleasure and human pain in a kind of 'moral maths'. It is also based on teleological ethics, which are based on consequences and the idea that an action is only right depending on the consequences that the action had. For example, If I broke a vase and then tried to put it back together then I did the right thing because no one saw me break it in the first place.
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Rule utilitarianism is a modified version of act utilitarianism as it applies the 'principle of utility' only this time it is applied to rules. So if everyone obeyed a rule then it should maximise pleasure for everybody. Such as the question 'should people steal from the rich to give to the poor'. A rule utilitarian would say that you shouldn't steal as it is a rule that shouldn't be broken but giving to the poor would maximise pleasure for the majority. Another one is "should I drive on the left or right side of the road?" Obviously I ...

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