Etiko: Malsamoj inter versioj

[[File:John Stuart Mill by London Stereoscopic Company, c1870.jpg|thumb|upright|John Stuart Mill.]]

Utilismo estas prietika teorio kiu argumentas, ke la propra fluo de agado estas tiu kiu maksimumigas pozitivan efikon, kiel la "feliĉo", la "bonfarto", aŭ la kapablo vivi kongrue kun la personaj preferoj.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Ethics Toolkit: A Compendium of Ethical Concepts and Methods|edition=|last=Baqgini|first=Julian|author-link= |last2=Fosl|first2=Peter S.|author2-link=Peter S. Fosl|year=2007|publisher= Blackwell|location=Malden|isbn=978-1-4051-3230-5|pages=57–58}}</ref> [[Jeremy Bentham]] kaj [[John Stuart Mill]] estas influaj proponintoj de tiu skolo de pensaro. En ''A Fragment on Government'' Bentham diras, ke 'estas la plek granda feliĉo de plej granda kvanto la mezuro de bono kaj malbono' kaj priskribas tion kiel fundamenta [[aksiomo]]. En ''An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation'' li parolas pri 'la principo de utileco' sed poste preferas "la plej grandan feliĉan principon".<ref>{{cite book|last=Bentham |first= Jeremy|title=The Works of Jeremy Bentham: Published under the Superintendence of His Executor, John Bowring. Volume 1|year=2001|publisher=Adamant Media Corporation|page=18|isbn= 978-1-4021-6393-7}}</ref><ref name="John Stuart Mill">[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11224/11224-h/11224-h.htm#CHAPTER_I Mill, John Stuart, Utilitarianism (Project Gutenberg reta eldono)]</ref>

 

 

The major division within utilitarianism is between ''[[act utilitarianism]]'' and ''[[rule utilitarianism]]''. In act utilitarianism, the principle of utility applies directly to each alternative act in a situation of choice. The right act is the one that brings about the best results (or the least amount of bad results). In rule utilitarianism, the principle of utility determines the validity of rules of conduct (moral principles). A rule like promise-keeping is established by looking at the consequences of a world in which people break promises at will and a world in which promises are binding. Right and wrong are the following or breaking of rules that are sanctioned by their utilitarian value.<ref name="Carnegie Mellon University">{{cite web |url=http://caae.phil.cmu.edu/cavalier/80130/part2/sect9.html |work=Department of Philosophy, [[Carnegie Mellon University]] |title=Utilitarian Theories |year=1996 |access-date=28 July 2017}}</ref> A proposed "middle ground" between these two types is [[Two-level utilitarianism]], where rules are applied in ordinary circumstances, but with an allowance to choose actions outside of such rules when unusual situations call for it.