An ethical philosophy in which the happiness of the greatest number of people in the society is considered the greatest good. According to this philosophy, an action is morally right if its consequences lead to happiness (absence of pain), and wrong if it ends in unhappiness (pain). Since the link between actions and their happy or unhappy outcomes depends on the circumstances, no moral ... Read more

USAGE EXAMPLE

The requirement to vaccinate children against diseases such as polio, measles, and whooping cough is an example of utilitarianism, or serving the public good, as opposed to allowing parents to opt out of vaccination based upon religious grounds.