Quotes About Utilitarianism

He had been working at the wall for too long. Why he bothered the Lord only knew. After all, it went nowhere and closed in nothing. His grandfather had been a master waller in the dale, but the skill had not been passed down the generations. He supposed he liked is for the same reason he liked fishing: mindless relaxation. In an age of totalitarian utilitarianism, Gristhorpe thought, a man needs as much purposeless activity as he can find.

To be fettered to work means to be bound to this vast utilitarian process in which our needs are satisfied, and, what is more, tied to such an extent that the life of the working man is wholly consumed in it.

I am for those means which will give the greatest good to the greatest number.

The practical common-sense of modern society, the utilitarian direction which labor, laws, opinion, religion, take, is the natural genius of the British mind.

Bueno, al fin y al cabo, esta es la era del tejido desechable. Tratamos a la gente como si fueran pañuelos de papel. Los estrujamos después de utilizarlos, los tiramos, cogemos otro, nos sonamos, lo estrujamos, lo tiramos. Todo el mundo usa la ropa de todo el mundo.

Utilitarianism: A moral and political philosophy that proposes the doctrine of the greatest good/happiness for the greatest number of people. According to one of Utilitarianism's chief architects, Jeremy Bentham, the basic idea is to find a balance between the individual's happiness and the happiness of the community, "each counting in an equal way." In positing happiness as its aim, Utilitarianism is a type of hedonism.

Utilitarianism is a type of hedonism.

I suspect the problem comes from the very word 'consumption'. Originally, to consume something means to use it up, in effect to destroy stuff. We think of a fire consuming a house. Two centuries ago consumption was associated with the dread of tuberculosis, a wasting disease.

I felt like they only cared about what I could do for them, not what they could do for me.

But the question is, whether the animals who endure such sufferings of various kinds for the service and entertainment of man, would accept existence upon the terms on which they have it.

While man exclaims, "See all things for my use!" "See man for mine!" replies a pamper'd goose.

Men become utilitarian out of fear of the alternative the chaos of tangled or tepid desires, of rootlessness and boredom.

In a perfect world, we would not keep animals for our benefit, including pets.

There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel.

The action is best that secures the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

Utilitarianism: If we Britiash were Utilitarians we would have to believe that imprisoning the innocent and torturing suspects was justified if the Home Secretary thought it a good thing for our peace of mind.

Bentham maintained that what mattered about an action was how much pleasure it produced and how much pain was avoided. He enjoined us always to act so as to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.

Some dreamers demand that scientists only discover things that can be used for good.

Of course killing people is 'wrong', but I think history shows that sometimes it serves the greater good.

Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain.

Reason shows me that if my happiness is desirable and good, the equal happiness of any other person must be equally desirable.

I am for those means which will give the greatest good to the greatest number.

When good enough gets the job done, go for it. It's way better than wasting resources or, even worse, doing nothing because you can't afford the complex solution.

Not that I subscribe to the utilitarian view that plants are only good for what we can get out of them—it should be enough to add another beautiful (or even plain) item to nature's inventory. We need to know what there is in the world for us to look after, regardless of its potential use.