What is the difference between act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism? (5 marks)

There are three main moral theories, each with its own account of right and wrong: deontology, virtue ethics and utilitarianism. Utilitarians believe that the rightness of an action is determined by its consequences: if an action causes good consequences, it is right. If an action causes bad consequences, it is wrong. There are two main types of utilitarianism: act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism was put forward by Jeremy Bentham, a British philosopher and social reformer. Act utilitarians believe that the consequences of an act alone justify the act’s rightness. For example, if taking a human life leads to more good than bad consequences, it is the right thing to do.Rule utilitarianism was put forward by philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill, who was a student of Bentham’s. In contrast, rule utilitarians believe that the consequences of an action determine the actions rightness, but within a framework of a few basic rules, which tend to maximise good consequences. For example, a rule utilitarian would not agree that taking a human life is correct as long as it leads to more good consequences, because taking the life would be violating a basic utilitarian rule.