Utilitarianism
E13840
Utilitarianism is a foundational work of moral philosophy that systematically defends the view that actions are right insofar as they promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| utilitarianism | 2 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
consequentialist theory
ⓘ
ethical theory ⓘ moral philosophy theory ⓘ normative ethical theory ⓘ |
| aimsAt | greatest happiness for the greatest number ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
individual actions
ⓘ
institutional design ⓘ laws ⓘ social policies ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Henry Sidgwick
ⓘ
Jeremy Bentham ⓘ John Stuart Mill ⓘ Peter Singer ⓘ |
| claims | each person's happiness counts equally ⓘ |
| contrastsWith |
deontological ethics
ⓘ
virtue ethics ⓘ |
| criticizedFor |
demandingness
ⓘ
interpersonal comparison of utility problems ⓘ neglect of justice and fairness ⓘ potentially justifying rights violations ⓘ |
| developedFrom | hedonism ⓘ |
| developedIn |
18th century
ⓘ
19th century ⓘ |
| emphasizes | overall consequences of actions ⓘ |
| evaluates | actions by their consequences for overall well-being ⓘ |
| hasCorePrinciple |
greatest happiness principle
ⓘ
principle of utility ⓘ |
| hasDebateOn | measuring and comparing utilities ⓘ |
| hasVariant |
act utilitarianism
ⓘ
average utilitarianism ⓘ negative utilitarianism ⓘ preference utilitarianism ⓘ rule utilitarianism ⓘ total utilitarianism ⓘ |
| holdsThat |
actions are right insofar as they promote happiness
ⓘ
actions are wrong insofar as they produce unhappiness ⓘ |
| influenced |
cost–benefit analysis
ⓘ
modern welfare economics ⓘ public policy ethics ⓘ |
| isFormOf | consequentialism ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
classical liberalism
ⓘ
social reform movements ⓘ |
| seeksToMaximize |
aggregate welfare
ⓘ
overall happiness ⓘ |
| supports | impartial consideration of interests ⓘ |
| usesConcept |
pain
ⓘ
pleasure ⓘ utility ⓘ |
Referenced by (7)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
utilitarianism
subject surface form:
John Stuart Mill
this entity surface form:
utilitarianism
subject surface form:
John Stuart Mill
subject surface form:
John Stuart Mill