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Utilitarianism

Philosophy
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that judges actions by their consequences, specifically their contribution to overall happiness or utility. It seeks the greatest good for the greatest number.

Detailed Definition
Bentham and Mill champion this consequentialist theory. In poetry, it can appear as a theme of social reform or moral calculation. A poem might explore the utilitarian calculus of a difficult decision. This concept gives poetry a pragmatic, ethical dimension, engaging with questions of justice, sacrifice, and the common good, often in a narrative context.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem that advocates for a social policy that helps the most people, like the poetry of Bertolt Brecht, is utilitarian; A poem that weighs the consequences of an action, like a narrative poem, is engaging with utilitarianism; A poem that critiques a decision that caused unnecessary suffering is using a utilitarian perspective; A poem that praises a "greatest good" principle is a utilitarian text.
Additional Notes
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory, most famously associated with Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, that judges the morality of actions by their consequences. The principle of utility holds that an action is right if it tends to produce happiness or pleasure and wrong if it tends to produce unhappiness or pain, with the goal of achieving the "greatest good for the greatest number." In poetry, utilitarianism can appear as a theme of social reform, moral calculation, or the weighing of conflicting outcomes. A poem might explore the difficult choice of sacrificing one for the good of many. This concept gives poetry a pragmatic, ethical dimension, engaging with questions of justice and the common good.
Also Known As
Greatest happiness principle Consequentialism (broadly) Utility principle
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