Anne asked:

I am looking at how the utilitarian formula of 'the greatest happiness for the greatest number' applies
to future generations, and I don't really understand the difference between 'total utility' and 'average
utility'. Can you help me?

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You're not dealing with philosophy here, just with simple math. A total is the sum of all the individuals:
(1+1+1)=3. An average is the sum, divided by the number of the individuals making up the sum:
(1+1+1) / 3 = 1.

Now if you want to get into philosophy,you have to ask on what grounds you can justify a) turning
happiness into a number, and b) doing mathematical manipulations on those numbers. Is the
happiness you feel on eating a good meal something that can be a) turned into a number, and b)
added to the happiness you feel (also turned into a number) on getting an "A" in a philosophy paper?

Steven Ravett Brown