Act and Rule Utilitarians

Question 1

What is a rule utilitarian?

Answer 1

They believe that by using the utilitarian principle you can draw up general rules based on past experiences which would help you keep the principle.

Question 2

What are the 2 forms of rule utilitarianism?

Answer 2

Strong

Weak

Question 3

What does a strong rule utilitarian believe?

Answer 3

That any rules formulated and established through the application of the utilitarian principle should never be broken

Question 4

What does a weak rule utilitarian believe?

Answer 4

They try to allow for the fact that the utilitarian principle can take precedence over a general rule in a given situation. However, the rule would still form part of the decision making process.