Imagine that you like wild flowers. You like them so much, in fact, that
you often find yourself wanting to take them home to your garden. One
day you are in a nature park close to your home and you see a cluster of
primroses. You would get immense satisfaction from seeing some of
them peeking out from beneath your ferns. Were you to dig them up, no
one would spot their absence and the impact on the park of just a few
missing primroses would be as nothing compared to the joy they would
bring you in your garden. You would not be setting a precedent, because
you would keep your theft quiet. On the other hand, if everyone was to
do this, the wild ones would quickly vanish, leading to less happiness
overall.
1 What would an act utilitarian advise?
2 What would a rule utilitarian advise?
