BharatNotes Utilitarianism
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
Critics contend that a purely utilitarian calculus used to justify demonetisation undervalued the acute hardship inflicted on the informal sector and daily-wage workers, whose individual suffering was aggregated away in macroeconomic projections of long-term benefit.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
utilitarian (adjective/noun), utility (noun), utilise/utilize (verb), utilitarian (adjective), anti-utilitarian (adjective)
Root
Latin utilitas = usefulness, benefit; -arian = adherent of; -ism = doctrine
Etymology
Jeremy Bentham coined the term in a letter of 1781 and developed the doctrine in Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789). The root is Latin utilitas (usefulness), from utilis (useful), from uti (to use). Mill popularised and refined the theory in Utilitarianism (1863), introducing the distinction between quality and quantity of pleasure that addressed Carlyle's 'pig-philosophy' objection.
Memory Hook
UTILITY = USEFULNESS: Utilitarianism asks, 'What is most USEFUL for the most people?' Think of a Swiss Army knife — the most useful tool for the most tasks. Utilitarianism is the Swiss Army knife of ethics: always ask what produces maximum collective use.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The theory that the right action is the one producing the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Jeremy Bentham set out the principle of utility in An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, completed in 1780 and published in 1789, and John Stuart Mill developed it further in Utilitarianism. In GS4 it is the natural framework for public policy, since policy necessarily aggregates, and the standard critique is equally examinable: aggregation can justify serious harm to a minority if the sum works out.
Don’t Confuse It With
Utilitarianism maximises aggregate welfare. Kantian deontology judges by duty and motive rather than result, which is the direct rival. Act utilitarianism assesses each act individually, while rule utilitarianism assesses the rule that the act follows, and the distinction resolves several classic objections.
Hindi Meaning
उपयोगितावाद (upyogitāvād).
Common Questions
- What is utilitarianism?
- The ethical theory that the right action is the one that produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.
- Who founded utilitarianism?
- Jeremy Bentham set out the principle of utility in An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, published in 1789, and John Stuart Mill developed the theory further.
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