How could I possibly apply rule-utilitarianism in real life?

Question

If I believe in rule-utilitarianism as the best moral system we have to judge what actions are right and wrong, how would I go about applying this system pratically in real life decisions?

For example, if I was a strict-utilitarian it would be somewhat approachable. I could try to predict the likely consequences of an action and see if they contribute to a net-gain in happiness.

But with rule-utilitarianism, how do I even go about applying it? If there’s an action I want to judge morally, do I need to now make thousands of rules that I believe will grant the best net-gain of happiness and then see which of these rules this action falls under?

Answer 1

Do I need to now make thousands of rules...?

It would be impossible to make all the rules you need. From Sheldon Kopp's Eschatological Laundry List:

We must live with the ambiguity of partial freedom, partial power, and partial knowledge.

All important decisions must be made on the basis of insufficent data.

Therefore, a good course of action might be prioritization. Try to brainstorm some of the more important rules for situations you are likely to encounter. Under what conditions would you want to run a red light, lie or kill someone?

If you run into a more unusual situation you aren't prepared for, then you just have to sit down and study that situation.

That's pretty much how law works. There were no laws governing patents or the Internet until the advent of patents and the Internet.