Utilitarianism was not merely a marginal philosophical and ethical movement that disappeared without leaving a trace. On the contrary, this doctrine had a profound impact on most areas of life from the eighteenth century through the twentieth. It was an echo of an era, the product of a cultural environment, and a political situation that extended from England to the United States. Alexis de Tocqueville himself acknowledged this when he considered utility theory among the theories most appropriate to the needs of individuals of his time. He viewed its prominence in ethical questions, the spread of its ideas, and the adoption of its concepts as natural and normal.
In this book, we have endeavored to answer the question: What is utility? To this end, we have sought to clarify this concept, both linguistically and technically, as well as to clarify the foundations of utilitarian theory and to observe practical reality as indicated by human experience and its ethical applications.