anti-utilitarianism
|an-ti-u-ti-li-ta-ri-an-ism|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˌjuː.tɪlɪˈtɛr.i.ə.nɪ.zəm/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪˌjuː.tɪlɪˈtɛə.ri.ə.nɪ.zəm/
opposed to utilitarianism
Etymology
'anti-utilitarianism' is formed in English from the combining form 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') + 'utilitarianism' (the noun form of 'utilitarian', built on 'utility'). 'Utility' ultimately traces to Latin 'utilitas' meaning 'usefulness'.
'Utilitarianism' developed as a term in English philosophy in the late 18th and early 19th centuries (associated with thinkers such as Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill). The compound 'anti-utilitarianism' is a later English formation that attaches the productive prefix 'anti-' to name opposition to that doctrine.
Originally the elements meant 'against' + 'usefulness' in their roots; as a compound, the modern term specifically denotes opposition to the ethical doctrine of utilitarianism rather than a literal opposition to usefulness in all contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a philosophical stance or doctrine rejecting utilitarianism — the ethical view that actions are right if they maximize overall happiness or utility.
Her critique of decision-making based solely on cost–benefit analysis was rooted in anti-utilitarianism.
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Noun 2
a broader attitude or policy tendency that opposes evaluating actions, policies, or values solely by aggregate utility, instead privileging rights, duties, intrinsic values, or qualitative considerations.
Anti-utilitarianism influenced the conservation policy, leading lawmakers to protect certain habitats regardless of their measured economic benefit.
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Last updated: 2025/11/27 11:13