(ˌ) ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˈterēəˌnizəm, -ta(a)r-, -tār- noun
( -s )
Etymology: utilitarian (I) + -ism
1.
a. : 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 elaborated by Jeremy Bentham and James and John Stuart Mill that the aim of moral, social, and political action should be the largest possible balance of pleasure over pain or the greatest happiness of the greatest number — compare benthamism , hedonism 1
b. : one of a group of primarily 20th century ethical theories based not or not only on a conception of pleasure as an intrinsic good but on other intrinsic goods (as beauty, harmony, or affection)
enunciates the general principle of utilitarianism in the formula that it is right to aim at whatever will promote the increasingly full realization of increasingly high values — C.D.Broad
— called also ideal utilitarianism
2. : utilitarian character, spirit, or quality
the utilitarianism of commercial industry — Bertrand Russell
the forthright utilitarianism of the superb … aqueduct — American Guide Series: New York