What is the difference between Act and Rule Utilitarianism? Why is rule utilitarianism considered by many to be a preferable form of utilitarianism? Clearly describe each version of utilitarianism and explain which you think is to be preferred, and why.

The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy defines Utilitarianism as ‘a system of ethics according to which the rightness or wrongness of an action should be judged by its consequences. The goal of utilitarian ethics is to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number’. This is known as the Principle of Utility. There are two main versions of utilitarianism: Classical Utilitarianism and Preference Utilitarianism. Classical Utilitarianism describes utility as pleasure or happiness and looks at the balance between pleasure/happiness and pain/unhappiness. Preference Utilitarianism defines utility as the satisfaction of preferences.

Act Utilitarianism vs. Rule Utilitarianism:

Act utilitarianism is ‘the value of the consequences of the particular act that counts when determining whether the act is right’. It depends on the Principle of Utility for every situation. In other words, it depends on the consideration of the utility value of every distinct action. Rule Utilitarianism ‘determines rightness by finding the value of following a particular rule’. It uses the Principle of Utility in order to select the rules that mostly bring about the most utility. The distinction between the two is simply that Act Utilitarianism is based on individual actions whereas Rule Utilitarianism is determined by rules.

Criticisms can be made against the two types of Utilitarianism. Act Utilitarianism relies on acting in a way that will bring about the greatest amount of happiness. However, the greatest amount of happiness may bring about the ‘wrong’ action, meaning morally ‘incorrect’. Rule