Rayer

Utilitarianism
Bentham's Act Utilitarianism
Bentham was very concerned with the social conditions of his day, particularly with hospitals and prisons. He tried to develop a moral theory which benefited society.
Bentham argued in favour of: individual and economic freedom the separation of church and state freedom of expression equal rights for women the end of slavery the abolition of physical punishment the right to divorce free trade usury the decriminalization of homosexual acts
Teleological/Consequential
A group of philosophers argue that whether something is right or wrong depends on the result or end of that action. Theories that are interested in ends are called teleological, from the Greek word for 'end'. For a teleological ethical thinker, the end justifies the means. You decide the rightness of an action by the end it produces. A choice that results in good end is morally better than one that results in a bad end. Stealing or lying is right if it leads to a better situation afterwards - for example, if the theft feeds a starving family, or the lie conceals a secret from a spy. Qualities such as love, honesty and kindness are not good in themselves. They are only good in an instrumental way because they cause good results.
Consider torture. A deontologist may argue that torturing prisoners is always wrong, no matter what the situation. On the other hand, a teleologist will want to look at the consequences of either choosing to torture or not choosing to torture before deciding whether or not it is right. Let us suppose that the prisoner has secrets that, once revealed, will save the lives of many innocent people. The prison guards know he has this information. The teleological thinker will maintain that it is right to go ahead and torture to discover the truth, as it will save the lives of many innocents.
Relativism
Every culture and every country has different customs and practices. Some philosophers have argued that morals are simply ways for different cultures to express what they approve or disapprove of. This theory that morals are relative is called relativism. The immediate consequence of this theory is that there are no absolutes: nothing has to be true in every culture. Morality changes: it depends on where, when and who you are.

What is a hedonist?
Utilitarianism was devised by Jeremy Bentham, an English thinker who worked on legal reford and who wrote The Principles of Morals and Legislation.
Bentham can be called a hedonist (hedone is Greek for pleasure). He argued that ultimately human beings are motivated by pleasure and pain. Bentham saw seeking pleasure and avoiding pain as a moral fact - pleasure is the sole good and pain the sole evil.
The question 'what things are good? is not necessarily the same question as 'what actions are right?' Utilitarianism answers the second question by referring back to the first one. Right actions are the ones that produce the most good. Hedonism has always been an attractive theory because it expresses the idea that things are good or bad only on account of the way they make us feel.
The principle of utility or greatest happiness principle
Once Bentham had established that pleasure and pain were the important qualities for determining what was moral, he developed the 'utility ' principle. The Principle of Utility states that you should aim to produce "the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people". It is a teleological ethical theory which determines a good act by the ends it brings about. This principle is also known as the greatest happiness principle. The rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by its 'utility' or usefulness. Usefulness refers to the amount of pleasure of happiness caused by the action.