utilitarianism
the ethical doctrine that virtue is based on utility, and that conduct should be directed toward promoting the greatest happiness of the greatest number of persons.
Origin of utilitarianism
1Other words from utilitarianism
- an·ti·u·til·i·tar·i·an·ism, noun
Words Nearby utilitarianism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use utilitarianism in a sentence
EA’s philosophical genes came from Peter Singer’s brand of utilitarianism and Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom’s investigations into potential threats to humanity.
Inside effective altruism, where the far future counts a lot more than the present | Rebecca Ackermann | October 17, 2022 | MIT Technology ReviewIn those situations, says David Magnus, director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University, long-standing principles of utilitarianism, prioritization and egalitarianism apply.
COVID-19 Is Forcing Us to Talk About Rationing Health Care in the U.S. Again. Could We Have Avoided This? | Alice Park | September 10, 2021 | TimeOver the years, he has pushed for animal rights, made the case for utilitarianism, and advocated for more — and more effective — giving.
The world’s problems overwhelmed me. This book empowered me. | Kelsey Piper | December 11, 2020 | Voxutilitarianism offers a method for thinking through this problem, but not an answer.
A Philosopher Answers Everyday Moral Dilemmas In A Time Of Coronavirus | LGBTQ-Editor | April 15, 2020 | No Straight NewsBut here's what utilitarianism, according to Williams, leaves out of the picture: individual agency.
In spite of his keen interest in utilitarianism, there is no trace that he read the later writers of the school.
The Life of Mazzini | Bolton KingFor an express discussion and vindication of this principle, see the little volume entitled "utilitarianism."
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive | John Stuart MillHere he would seem to lean towards utilitarianism, were it not that he is as severe on men of experiment as on men of dogma.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume VI | John LordTo accept the philosophy was to be also pledged to practical applications of utilitarianism.
The English Utilitarians, Volume I. | Leslie StephenThe Morals and Legislation opens by briefly and contemptuously setting aside more philosophical opponents of utilitarianism.
The English Utilitarians, Volume I. | Leslie Stephen
British Dictionary definitions for utilitarianism
/ (juːˌtɪlɪˈtɛərɪəˌnɪzəm) /
the doctrine that the morally correct course of action consists in the greatest good for the greatest number, that is, in maximizing the total benefit resulting, without regard to the distribution of benefits and burdens
the theory that the criterion of virtue is utility
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for utilitarianism
A system of ethics according to which the rightness or wrongness of an action should be judged by its consequences. The goal of utilitarian ethics is to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Jeremy Bentham, an English philosopher, was the founder of utilitarianism; John Stuart Mill was its best-known defender.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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