Word
utilitarianism
Meanings
An ethical theory that judges actions by how much overall good or happiness they produce for the greatest number of people.
A practical, results-focused approach that prioritizes usefulness and measurable outcomes over tradition or aesthetics.
Definition
Utilitarianism is the ethical view that the best action is the one that produces the greatest overall well-being.
Utilitarianism is a moral theory that evaluates actions by their consequences for everyone affected. It says an action is right if it increases overall happiness or reduces overall suffering. In practice, it encourages weighing costs and benefits across a whole group rather than focusing only on intentions or rules.
Examples
- In her essay, she defends utilitarianism by arguing that public policy should reduce preventable suffering wherever possible.
- I find utilitarianism persuasive in emergencies, because it forces me to consider how my choices affect everyone in the room.
- During the seminar, they criticized utilitarianism for treating individual rights as secondary to aggregate outcomes.
- He used utilitarianism to justify the new schedule, insisting that the overall benefits outweighed the inconvenience to a few teams.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse utilitarianism (an ethical theory) with utilitarian (practical/useful) and use the noun when they mean the adjective.
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