utilitarianism

American  

[yoo-til-i-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm] / yuˌtɪl ɪˈtɛər i əˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. 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.

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utilitarianism British  

/ juːˌtɪlɪˈtɛərɪəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. 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

2. the theory that the criterion of virtue is utility

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utilitarianism Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• antiutilitarianism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of utilitarianism

First recorded in 1820–30; utilitarian + -ism

Explanation

If you believe in utilitarianism, you believe that the most valuable things are the most useful — and useful to the greatest number of people possible. General utilitarianism focuses on the utility of things — how useful they are. If you follow utilitarianism, you're probably not going to buy the sleekest, coolest looking car, but the one that gets the best gas mileage and is the most practical. Philosophers Jeremy Bentham and James Mill came up with their own ethical spin on utilitarianism: according to them, we should always be trying to achieve the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

Example Sentences

Utilitarianism is considered hedonistic because it bases moral theory on maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

Utilitarianism tries to maximize total benefit, although what “total benefit” means changes depending on the situation.

From Scientific American • Mar. 9, 2021

Utilitarianism, developed as a modern theory of ethics by the 19th-century philosophers Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, seeks the greatest balance of happiness over suffering in society as a whole.

From Salon • Nov. 25, 2018

Utilitarianism or the basis under which neoclassical economy is based exalts use values to the detriment of exchange values.

From New York Times • Oct. 2, 2017

A matter of prudence, according to theological Utilitarianism, 16 Pilate, Pontius, story of his desire to enrol Christ among the Roman gods, i.

From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 2 of 2) by Lecky, William Edward Hartpole