UTILITARIANISM
OCR Religious Studies Developments in Christian Thought
2 ESSAYS
, ‘Rule Utilitarianism is more successful than Act Utilitarianism’ Discuss (40)
• Point:
◦ Rule utilitarianism is more successful than act utilitarianism because it avoids impractical case-
by-case moral deliberation where there are unpredictable outcomes.
• Explanation:
◦ As a consequentialist theory, utilitarianism requires accurate predictions of the outcomes of
actions.
◦ Act utilitarianism, as developed by Jeremy Bentham, requires the individual to calculate the
potential outcomes of every action, considering factors such as intensity, duration, certainty, and
purity using the hedonic calculus.
◦ This is time-consuming and unrealistic in urgent or everyday situations.
◦ Real-world examples like drone strikes illustrate how unpredictable these outcomes are—
civilian deaths, unintended consequences, or long-term harm.
◦ Pleasure and pain are also assessed subjectively, often ltered through personal bias, experience,
and education- e.g. someone may derive pleasure from reading poetry, while someone else may
nd that boring or painful
◦ Rule utilitarianism allows for general moral rules that usually promote the greatest good (e.g.,
"do not steal," "tell the truth"). E.g. stealing from a supermarket
• Response:
◦ Supporters of act utilitarianism argue that exibility is a virtue.
◦ Defenders argue that act utilitarianism offers a structured, rational approach to moral decision-
making.
◦ Peter Singer's Preference Utilitarianism (although non-hedonic so cannot be seen as a defence of
act): what matters morally is not rule-following, but maximizing the satisfaction of informed,
rational preferences in each situation- the preferences of all persons should be taken into
account
◦ Each moral situation is unique, so applying a general rule might ignore important context (e.g.
Mrs Bergmeier- in delity)
• Evaluation:
◦ Straw man argument: one case doesn’t refute all rule based theories
◦ The theory’s exibility is also its weakness—placing the burden on individuals to research and
calculate outcomes in every situation is unrealistic.
◦ Weak rule utilitarianism allows for exceptions to rules in extreme cases, maintaining a balance
between consistency and context sensitivity.
◦ There are general rules that we can stick to like do not steal or murder
◦ This means we can follow rules generally, but override them in rare circumstances where doing
so clearly promotes greater utility.
• Link:
◦ Rule utilitarianism is more successful because it provides a practical and ef cient decision-
making system while allowing for necessary moral nuance.
•
Paragraph 2: Justice and Rights
• Point:
◦ Rule utilitarianism is better equipped than act utilitarianism to respect justice and protect
individual rights.
• Explanation:
◦ Act utilitarianism can lead to morally troubling outcomes if breaking moral norms creates more
overall happiness.
◦ Bentham’s utilitarianism values immediate pleasure, often at the expense of long-term societal
bene ts.
◦ His hedonic calculus prioritises popular and short-term pleasures, such as entertainment or
revenge.
◦ Swine ethic objection: treats us as though we are pigs. Assumes we are creatures that value each
pleasure identically- gang rape could be justi ed- intensity of the many outweighs pain/lack of
purity. While Bentham would not have intended to imply this, it seems dif cult to see how his
system can avoid this criticism
◦ Examples like the justi cation of the death penalty for paedophiles as a short term pleasure or
prioritising football stadiums over education because they provide more immediate pleasure
demonstrate this aw.
◦ The system lacks the nuance to protect morally valuable but less immediately gratifying
institutions like libraries or schools.
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OCR Religious Studies Developments in Christian Thought
2 ESSAYS
, ‘Rule Utilitarianism is more successful than Act Utilitarianism’ Discuss (40)
• Point:
◦ Rule utilitarianism is more successful than act utilitarianism because it avoids impractical case-
by-case moral deliberation where there are unpredictable outcomes.
• Explanation:
◦ As a consequentialist theory, utilitarianism requires accurate predictions of the outcomes of
actions.
◦ Act utilitarianism, as developed by Jeremy Bentham, requires the individual to calculate the
potential outcomes of every action, considering factors such as intensity, duration, certainty, and
purity using the hedonic calculus.
◦ This is time-consuming and unrealistic in urgent or everyday situations.
◦ Real-world examples like drone strikes illustrate how unpredictable these outcomes are—
civilian deaths, unintended consequences, or long-term harm.
◦ Pleasure and pain are also assessed subjectively, often ltered through personal bias, experience,
and education- e.g. someone may derive pleasure from reading poetry, while someone else may
nd that boring or painful
◦ Rule utilitarianism allows for general moral rules that usually promote the greatest good (e.g.,
"do not steal," "tell the truth"). E.g. stealing from a supermarket
• Response:
◦ Supporters of act utilitarianism argue that exibility is a virtue.
◦ Defenders argue that act utilitarianism offers a structured, rational approach to moral decision-
making.
◦ Peter Singer's Preference Utilitarianism (although non-hedonic so cannot be seen as a defence of
act): what matters morally is not rule-following, but maximizing the satisfaction of informed,
rational preferences in each situation- the preferences of all persons should be taken into
account
◦ Each moral situation is unique, so applying a general rule might ignore important context (e.g.
Mrs Bergmeier- in delity)
• Evaluation:
◦ Straw man argument: one case doesn’t refute all rule based theories
◦ The theory’s exibility is also its weakness—placing the burden on individuals to research and
calculate outcomes in every situation is unrealistic.
◦ Weak rule utilitarianism allows for exceptions to rules in extreme cases, maintaining a balance
between consistency and context sensitivity.
◦ There are general rules that we can stick to like do not steal or murder
◦ This means we can follow rules generally, but override them in rare circumstances where doing
so clearly promotes greater utility.
• Link:
◦ Rule utilitarianism is more successful because it provides a practical and ef cient decision-
making system while allowing for necessary moral nuance.
•
Paragraph 2: Justice and Rights
• Point:
◦ Rule utilitarianism is better equipped than act utilitarianism to respect justice and protect
individual rights.
• Explanation:
◦ Act utilitarianism can lead to morally troubling outcomes if breaking moral norms creates more
overall happiness.
◦ Bentham’s utilitarianism values immediate pleasure, often at the expense of long-term societal
bene ts.
◦ His hedonic calculus prioritises popular and short-term pleasures, such as entertainment or
revenge.
◦ Swine ethic objection: treats us as though we are pigs. Assumes we are creatures that value each
pleasure identically- gang rape could be justi ed- intensity of the many outweighs pain/lack of
purity. While Bentham would not have intended to imply this, it seems dif cult to see how his
system can avoid this criticism
◦ Examples like the justi cation of the death penalty for paedophiles as a short term pleasure or
prioritising football stadiums over education because they provide more immediate pleasure
demonstrate this aw.
◦ The system lacks the nuance to protect morally valuable but less immediately gratifying
institutions like libraries or schools.
fi fi
fl flfi fi fl fi fi fifi
