StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Rule and Act Utilitarian - Article Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Rule and Act Utilitarian" outlines utilitarianism that is an ethnic theory based on the belief that states whether the acts have done are right if they are useful or for the benefit of the majority. There are two forms of Utilitarianism. 

Words: 43
Characters: 251
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.1% of users find it useful
Rule and Act Utilitarian
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Rule and Act Utilitarian"

Rule and Act Utilitarian Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is an ethnic theory based on the belief that s whether the acts done are right if they are useful or for the benefit of the majority. In Utilitarian point of view, it is not only told about rules but also about happiness (Lyons, 1965). The features between act and rule utilitarianism is therefore based on a difference about the proper object of considerable calculation. Act Utilitarianism will use the summary concept that is that a law is an abstract principle that a class of actions is good. The believers of rule Utilitarianism do not will to break the rules that are agreed upon by the majority. It thinks more of the long term goals (Hayry, 2002). Rule and Act Utilitarianism There are two forms of Utilitarianism. That is act Utilitarianism and other is rule Utilitarianism. They both are different and opposite from each other. Act Utilitarianism tells us that the basis of utility should be directly applied for each individual situation. In this, there is a point of view that the most happiness is for the greatest number of humans. The humans decide what to do after looking at that from where the most happiness is generated. In rule Utilitarianism it is told that what we should do to achieve the most wanted consequences and then the act that is seen is best for the majority is chosen (Lyons, 1965). In act Utilitarianism first the consequences are taken into sight of an act. The one with the better consequence is chosen. While the rule Utilitarianism looks at the consequence and then decide which rule to follow. Only that rule is selected that has the greatest utility or happiness whether the law is applied with fairness or not. Its aim is to deal people with fairness. It gives great value to justice. While in act Utilitarianism, it is to benefit the majority but sometimes the feelings are also hurt. Comparing Rule and Act Utilitarianism Rule and Act Utilitarianism have one thing similar that they are interlinked with the prediction of future however; it is also a fact that predictions are not always right. This can lead to abrupt results which does not benefit the people. As act Utilitarianism is mainly concerned with gaining more good. The rights of the individuals are violated for benefiting the majority. But sometimes it happens that the decision taken is good but at the same time, it is thought that it is not beneficial for the people. It is because of the things that are changed (Crisp, 1997). Rule Utilitarianism constrains its usefulness. Rule Utilitarian believes that the rules should be followed as they benefit the majority (Hayry, 2002). While in rule utilitarianism if we see that if a person is a lecturer at a same time, he runs his own business. Now he is having a very important business meeting that will benefit his workers too but at the same time, he has to give lecture to his students. There is no proper ethical answer for this situation. The act Utilitarian advice about ethical values but rule Utilitarian opposes it. Act and rule Utilitarian believe nothing. They just look at the way with the greatest utility. Criticisms in act utilitarianism view points to the difficulty of achieving full knowledge. There is a possibility to justify bad acts and laws using act utilitarianism. In rule utilitarianism, some criticisms arise that there is an argument that there is possibility to generate unjust rules according to principle of utility. There had been an argument that the rule utilitarianism cracked up into act utilitarianism, because for any given rule, in any of the case where breaking the rule produces more benefit, the rule can be clarified with the addition of a sub rule that can handle cases like the omission (Hayry, 2002). There is an example that clarifies easily between act and rule utilitarian. In rule utilitarianism, there is a law in country that stealing is wrong and nobody should do that. It is a rule and everyone should follow it. This will make everyone to stay without any tension as if the person does anything he will be punished. But if look at act utilitarianism, if the person is causing any harm to the society then he can be murdered as he is not safe for the society (Crisp, 1997). The two greatest proponents of utilitarianism as an ethical theory were Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Bentham and Mill is both Utilitarian but still their points of views differ from each other. They both follow different types of utilitarianism. James mill had a formula of Utilitarianism that is known as greatest happiness principle. It says that a person should always act to produce maximum happiness. He divides the happiness in to two categories that is higher and lower form of happiness. It has a basis that whoever has experienced both like to choose one over another. His belief is that the decisions are best if made on the basis of rules. When utilitarian principle is applied to business ethics, the cost benefit analysis is used.it means that companies will gain profit and customers will get quality products. When utilitarianism is used then all bad and good consequences are kept in sight. Decisions made in business should have positive aspects only. If we look at the situation for example there is a doctor and he has to look at a patient whose disease could not be cured and he does not know this, the difficulty which the doctor will find is to inform him that he is having a disease and his disease is incurable and he could also die. If the principles of the act utilitarian theory are observed, then definitely he won’t be informed about his disease. This is the most right thing do at that time because if the doctor will speak truth then it could cause the patient and his family with sadness. That lie could give him time to enjoy his life until his death caused by the disease. A believer of rule utilitarianism would not have any problem in telling the patient about his sickness. A rule utilitarian’s duty and aim is to always speak truth and be honest and not think about the situation which the patient or his family could face (West, 2004). Act and rule utilitarian believe that if there is an ethical decision then whether that is right for the society or not. Jeremy Bentham said that in act utilitarianism, it is useless to waste time on leisure activities. Instead of that, that time could be utilized in giving benefit to other people. Like social work and social services. Bentham had seven dimensions of pleasure or pain. These are intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity and extent. Intensity is referred to the potential of the experience. The duration tells that how long the experience lasts. Certainty relates to the choice. Propinquity tells that when will the experience going to happen. Fecundity tells whether the experience will give pleasure or pain. Purity refers whether the experience will give more pain or more pleasure. And at last, the extent tells about the number of population affected (Hayry, 2002). There is an acceptation in rule utilitarianism that there is a belief that actions done are right. It differentiates between the type of act and the circumstances in which the act occurs. It even differentiates between the types of pleasures (high or low). It also takes in account more than one situation and asserts that the law of benefiting other people maintains that a person should always do acts should only create the greater happiness for the majority (Crisp, 1997). Although the rule Utilitarian follows the rules but if there are two situations like not to kill someone is a law but for self-defense too, he can’t defend himself. In this situation, there is confusion. But then he decides what to do for his happiness. By carrying out rules, the rule utilitarian overcomes the problem that is faced by act utilitarianism. It is because it acknowledges more than one act itself. But this is not the case with act utilitarian (West, 2004). It only considers a single act and it ignores the chance of an action happening with the negative consequences. Rule utilitarianism not only looks at the present but it deeply concerns the future situation as well. It even allows adjusting the rules so that it maximizes the benefit for greater majority. In act utilitarianism, each act is acknowledged by its own consequences. It looks at the particular situation only. There is only one example action’s rightness is that it maximizes its benefits. Rule utilitarian is capable of making decisions but still they don’t do it or feel like doing it every time. On the other hand, the act utilitarian take decision but this takes time to make perfect decisions. In short if we can say that the rule utilitarianism sees justice as welfare. It is stated by the law whereas act utilitarianism sees justice for every single person’s responsibility. References Lyons, D. (1965). Forms and Limits of Utilitarianism. Oxford: Oxford University Press Crisp, R. (1997). Routledge Philosophy GuideBook to Mill on Utilitarianism. London: Routledge West, H. (2004). An Introduction to Mills Utilitarian Ethics. UK: Cambridge University Press Hayry, M. (2002). Liberal Utilitarianism and Applied Ethics. London: Routledge Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Rule and Act Utilitarian Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words, n.d.)
Rule and Act Utilitarian Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1598040-compare-rule-and-act-utilitarians-paper
(Rule and Act Utilitarian Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words)
Rule and Act Utilitarian Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1598040-compare-rule-and-act-utilitarians-paper.
“Rule and Act Utilitarian Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words”. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1598040-compare-rule-and-act-utilitarians-paper.
  • Cited: 1 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Rule and Act Utilitarian

Rachel's Utilitarianism

hellip; Thus, according to utilitarian view, the correct course of action is one that maximizes the net benefit to the society.... As Rachel points out, the utilitarian view inherently judges whether an action of morally good or bad by its consequences, and then, assesses these consequences solely by the amount of utility or happiness derived (Rachels 102).... The utilitarian theory (whether “rule” or “act”) has various shortcomings and has been criticized for various assumptions in recent years....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Create a dialogue between two people. Describe and critique two perspectives on morality

Different ethical perspectives exist and may have varying judgments on an issue or behavior and this paper explains and criticizes deontological and utilitarian perspective of ethics through a dialogue between two individuals, Steve and David.... I believe in utilitarian ethics and I would like to discuss it with you and maybe learn about your moral basis.... ?? David: “utilitarian ethical perspective is based on the concept maximum good to a majority of members of the society (Brooks and Dunn 183)....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

The theory of utilitarianism

Bentham was classified in England as utilitarian with the application of hedonism on the social level; that is, happiness is the end of all human existence.... It is expressed in the form that asserts that people should always act so as to produce the greatest ratio of good to evil for everyone.... It is expressed in the form that asserts that people should always act so as to produce the greatest ratio of good to evil for everyone.... The stronger of the two is so-called act-utilitarianism....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Act and rule utilitarianism

For instance, in a society whereby killing someone is prohibited by law, a rule utilitarian would argue that killing is morally incorrect because if the law is followed, everyone shall be free from the fear of being killed.... As Rachel sums it up, the Utilitarianism view inherently judges whether an action of morally good or bad by its consequences, and then, assesses these inserts his/her full act and Rule utilitarianism The theory of Utilitarianism is based on the premise that individual's course of action should be evaluated in terms of the costs and benefits that will be imposed on the society as a result of those actions....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

What Are the Ethical Postives and Negatives of Stem Cell Research

nbsp;… While one group places a high value on the rule of protecting human life under all circumstances, the other puts pleasure or the absence of pain in that role.... In the end, the difference between a normative judgment of stem cells as either “moral” or “immoral” is dependent, or contingent, upon one's state of reference: a normative theory either deontological (rule-based) or teleological (outcome-based) in nature.... But on the other hand, one might be led to believe that embryos, as potential human beings, need respect as organisms and the rule of destroying human life is undermined by research (Meilaender)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper

Notions of Genetic Discrimination, Genetic Determinism, and a Utilitarian Comparison

In other words, the good toward which all of our actions ought to pursue, under the utilitarian theory, is happiness, pleasure, or preference-satisfaction.... Accordingly, if by ending the life of one person we save the life of twenty persons, then that act is not only allowable but also preferred under the utilitarian theory.... Under a utilitarian framework, the argument against discrimination in any context follows from the assumption that society will be better off, or enriched, by the contributions of as many people as possible....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

Uncovering the Principles of Morality through Utilitarianism

The consequentialist principle states that the rightness or wrongness of an act is determined by the goodness or badness of the results that flow from it; it is the end, not the means that counts, the end then justifies the means (Pojman & Fieser 103).... This paper ''Uncovering the Principles of Morality through Utilitarianism'' tells that there are certain events in life that an individual needs to decide what the right thing to do is....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Hedonism and Benthams Principle of Utility and Theories

There are different ways to evaluate an act from a utilitarian perspective....    … Resolutely, utilitarianism is one of the consequentialists' ethical theories used to judge actions according to their anticipated results, hence making it partially a teleological theory; moreover, utilitarians evaluate acts by means of the utilitarian principles that link the rightness and wrongness of acts to the balance of positive utility over negative utility....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us