UTILITARIANISM

utilitarianism

(noun) doctrine that the useful is the good; especially as elaborated by Jeremy Bentham and James Mill; the aim was said to be the greatest happiness for the greatest number

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

utilitarianism (countable and uncountable, plural utilitarianisms)

(philosophy) A system of ethics based on the premise that something's value may be measured by its usefulness.

(philosophy) The theory that action should be directed toward achieving the "greatest happiness for the greatest number of people" (hedonistic universalism), or one of various related theories.

Coordinate terms

• deontology

Source: Wiktionary

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.

2. The doctrine that virtue is founded in utility, or that virtue is defined and enforced by its tendency to promote the highest happiness of the universe. J. S. Mill.

3. The doctrine that utility is the sole standard of morality, so that the rectitude of an action is determined by its usefulness.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition