12 mark starter (act util)

(Introductory paragraph for 12 markers)

Act utilitarianism is the consequentialist moral theory that claims the right action is the one that maximises overall happiness. It is also hedonistic meaning pleasure is the only intrinsic good and pain is the only intrinsic bad. Act utilitarianism judges each action case by case, and there are no fixed moral rules. Only the consequences of an action determine its moral value, meaning that motives are morally irrelevant. It is also impartial, as each person’s happiness is counted equally. Bentham argued that we must follow a system that maximises happiness and minimises pain, which is the utility principle. He introduced the hedonic calculus to measure pleasure and pain using factors such as intensity, duration, certainty and extent, and it is used to calculate whether an action produces more pleasure than pain in order to determine whether it is morally right.