Average and total utilitarianism

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Average and total utilitarianism (also called averagism[1] and totalism)[1] are variants of utilitarianism that seek to maximize the average or total amount of utility; following Henry Sidgwick's question, "Is it total or average happiness that we seek to make a maximum?".[2] They are theories of population ethics, a philosophical field that deals with problems arising when our actions affect the number or identity of individuals born in the future.

  1. ^ a b The Nonidentity Problem. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. 2022.
  2. ^ Sidgwick, Henry (January 1981). Methods of Ethics. Hackett Publishing Co, Inc; 7th Revised edition. p. xxxvi.