DETAILED COMPARISON BETWEEN ACT AND RULE UTILITARIANISM - Essay Example

A DETAILED COMPARISON BETWEEN ACT AND RULE UTILITARIANISM Ethics is an area of study that comprises countless theories, based on doctrines of performing individual acts either right or wrong and good or bad. Utilitarianism is a common example of theory of ethics.Utilitarianism theory, introduced by Jeremy Bentham, prescribes a single value system and a mode of consequentialism and absolutism, getting the best out of good outcomes for people in shape of pleasure and happiness. Mostly utilitarian theories might seek taking full advantage of other consequences, dealing with the welfare of people.

Therefore, utilitarianism is often related to the term “welfarist consequentialism” (Frost 2004).A good consequence is determined in terms of pleasure or happiness (both intrinsic and instrumental), according to Bentham. So, his concept can also be termed as “hedonic utilitarianism” since he experimented logically that we look for pleasure (hedonism) and avert pain, assuming that both pleasure and pain hold an impact on our decisions, although we are conscious of right or wrong and cause or effect.

Two forms of utilitarianism, act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism are in conflict with each other. Act utilitarianism, being a results-oriented theory, supports consequentialism, assuming right or wrong on the basis of outcomes. Instead, rule utilitarianism, being an idealistic and inflexible theory, is based on rules involving conduct and related principles. Believers of rule utilitarianism don’t violate the rules, approved by mainstream.Act Utilitarian upholds that the principle of utility must be employed in all individual situations, whenever possible.

Bentham indicates that most vital attributes to determine what is moral are pleasure and pain. The practicality of an action decides its rightness or wrongness, bringing about the utmost good from countless evolving outcomes. For instance, if you are in a state where you consider lying to be a supreme good, at that point, you should lie. If infringement of law leads towards ultimate good of a particular act, then that act would be correct to adhere to. Likewise, Act Utilitarianism allows for flexibility, considering individual situations and identifying the right action strategy to produce extreme happiness.

Conversely, Rule Utilitarianism, associated with John Stuart Mill, concentrates on common rules that each person must obey to lead towards the greatest community benefit. Unlike Act Utilitarianism, Rule Utilitarianism institutes the best rules, followed by the whole community, though it doesn’t head towards the greatest individual pleasure. For instance, in UK, if the road rule is that “you must drive on the left hand side of the road”, this should be adhered to in all situations, whether you want to drive on the right.

You have to obey the rule to keep the traffic in order without pondering over your personal circumstances as is done in act utilitarianism. Mill established that focus should be on the utility of rules instead of single acts. For Instance, he claimed that in definite settings, even if a utilitarian might advocate lying, but it is morally good for society overall to fused with truth telling. Mill preferred ‘pleasures of the intellect’ rather than ‘pleasures of the senses’ (McHugh 2006).

Bentham assumed that what is satisfying is good and what is painful is bad, challenging pleasure as of the ultimate intrinsic value, with anything that assist in getting happiness or avoiding pain as of instrumental value. Unlike him, Mill refuses to accept that people are satisfied with basic pleasures, opposing that pleasures may vary not only in quantity but in quality as well. Likewise, according to Mill, certain types of pleasures are more looked-for and cherished than other pleasures. Moreover, he asserts that the criterion for deciding an act is not the individual pleasure but the ultimate quantity of happiness in total.

Consequently, like Bentham, Mill considers it vital that an individual must not regard his personal satisfaction and happiness more than others’.Consequently, though act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism have been originated by same theory of ethics but rule theory offers long-lasting basis for the accomplishment of ethical decisions, executing rules for situation types and claiming a right action in harmony with these rules (RunrChic 2011). ReferencesFrost, Martin. Utilitarianism. Martinfrost.ws. 2004.

Retrieved fromhttp://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/utilitarianism.html McHugh, P.J. ACT and RULE Utilitarianism.TERE (Teachers Enterprise in Religious Education) ORG. 2006. Retrieved from http://www.tere.org/assets/downloads/secondary/pdf_downloads/ALevel/RuleUtilNotes.pdf RunrChic. Act Utilitarianism versus Rule Utilitarianism. Hub Pages. Last updated on February 17, 2011. Accessed at Oct 10, 2012. Retrieved fromhttp://runrchic1.hubpages.com/hub/Act-Utilitarianism-versus-Rule-Utilitarianism