In 1511, leaders in Mecca believed coffee stimulated radical thinking and outlawed the drink. In 1524, the leaders overturned that order, and people could drink coffee again.
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
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
18 June 2025
SOUARI
(noun) large South American evergreen tree trifoliate leaves and drupes with nutlike seeds used as food and a source of cooking oil
Coffee Trivia
