utilitarianism

utilitarianism
noun Date: 1827 1. a doctrine that the useful is the good and that the determining consideration of right conduct should be the usefulness of its consequences; specifically a theory that the aim of action should be the largest possible balance of pleasure over pain or the greatest happiness of the greatest number 2. utilitarian character, spirit, or quality

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Utilitarianism — utilitarianism …   Philosophy dictionary

  • Utilitarianism — utilitarianism …   Dictionary of sociology

  • Utilitarianism — • A modern form of the Hedonistic ethical theory which teaches that the end of human conduct is happiness, and that consequently the discriminating norm which distinguishes conduct into right and wrong is pleasure and pain Catholic Encyclopedia.… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • utilitarianism — index casuistry Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 utilitarianism …   Law dictionary

  • Utilitarianism — U*til i*ta ri*an*ism, n. 1. The doctrine that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the end and aim of all social and political institutions. Bentham. [1913 Webster] 2. The doctrine that virtue is founded in utility, or that… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • utilitarianism — 1827, from UTILITARIAN (Cf. utilitarian) + ISM (Cf. ism) …   Etymology dictionary

  • utilitarianism — ► NOUN 1) the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority. 2) the doctrine that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the guiding principle of conduct …   English terms dictionary

  • utilitarianism — [yo͞o til΄ə ter′ē əniz΄əm] n. 1. the doctrine that the worth or value of anything is determined solely by its utility 2. the doctrine, developed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, that the purpose of all action should be to bring about the… …   English World dictionary

  • Utilitarianism — This article discusses utilitarian ethical theory. For a discussion of John Stuart Mill s book Utilitarianism, see Utilitarianism (book). For the architectural theory, see Utilitarianism (architecture) Part of a series on …   Wikipedia

  • utilitarianism — /yooh til i tair ee euh niz euhm/, n. 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. [1820 30; UTILITARIAN + ISM] * * * Ethical… …   Universalium

  • Utilitarianism — A philosophy that bases the moral worth of an action upon the number of people it gives happiness or pleasure to. A utilitarian philosophy is used when making social, economic or political decisions for the betterment of society . In… …   Investment dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”