All intrinsic values, such as, intimate relationships, aesthetic experiences, virtue, etc. are under happiness. Utilitarians would say that the pleasure of an intimate relationship or the pleasure of aesthetic experience is the key to happiness; therefore the only real intrinsic value would be happiness.
The Principle of Utility says that acts that produce happiness to the most number of people are known to be moral acts. A good example of such principle would be to think of a person who has to choose between his own brother and a stranger that will be finding a cure for cancer; as they are both about to drown in a lake. In such a situation, most people might be obligated to save their loved ones, but according to the Principle of Utility, saving the life of the stranger that will be finding the sure of cancer, would be a moral choice. The stranger who is going to find the cure for cancer will make a lot of people happy who need a cure for cancer. Saving his brother's life might make himself or his family happy, but the people who need a cure for cancer might not be too happy. We could even say that saving the stranger would be equivalent to saving a lot of people's lives who have cancer, thus making them happy. The Principle of Utility is simple, and is made to use in everyday life.
The Principle of Utility has a set of steps that can help you evaluate if the decision you are about to make is morally correct or not. The first and the most basic step is to identify the alternative courses of action. Lay down all your options to the problem. It's important to have all your options clearly stated, so that you don't leave any possibilities open. The second step is to identify all the people that will be affected by the proposed action. This would include yourself, and people around you, and also other people that might be involved later in time, maybe later that day or week. The third step is to assign a "utility number" for each person for each proposed action.
