ABSTRACT
In chapter 2 we noted that classical utilitarianism, the view that the best action is that which produces the greatest improvement in total happiness, makes three distinct claims:
1. it is welfarist – the only thing that is good in itself and not just as a means to another good is the happiness or well-being of individuals;
2. it is consequentialist – whether an action is right or wrong is determined solely by its consequences;
3. it is an aggregative maximising approach – we choose the action that produces the greatest total amount of happiness or well-being.
