Act utilitarianism

Act utilitarianism holds that an action is morally right when its consequences produce at least as much overall well-being as any available alternative.

Consequentialism: The family of moral theories that judges actions by their consequences. Act utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory, making outcomes its basis for rightness.
Rule utilitarianism: The view that actions are right when they conform to rules whose general acceptance maximizes well-being. It evaluates actions through utility-promoting rules rather than assessing each act directly.
Trolley problem: A family of thought experiments about whether causing harm to save more people is permissible. Its variants test whether maximizing lives saved justifies directly harming one person.
Demandingness objection: The objection that a moral theory requires more sacrifice than people can reasonably be expected to make. Constantly choosing the best available outcome may leave little room for personal projects.
Utility: A measure of the value or benefit that an action or outcome provides. Act utilitarianism assesses consequences by their contribution to overall well-being.
Kantian ethics: An ethical theory that grounds moral duties in rational principles and respect for persons. Kantian ethics rejects consequences as the sole test of an action's moral rightness.
Organ transplantation thought experiment: A thought experiment in which killing one healthy person could provide organs to save several others. It probes whether aggregate benefits can justify violating an individual's rights.
Integrity objection: The objection that consequentialism can alienate people from their commitments by treating them as instruments for outcomes. Act-by-act maximization can require abandoning personal loyalties whenever doing so improves the total.
Expected utility: The probability-weighted value of the possible outcomes of an uncertain choice. When outcomes are uncertain, agents can compare actions by their expected effects on well-being.
Virtue ethics: An ethical approach that centers moral character and the virtues needed to live well. It asks what a virtuous person would do, rather than which act maximizes well-being.

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