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Utilitarianism is a theory of ethics which argues that all actions should be considered in light of maximizing the “utility” of their consequences, which is generally taken to mean the human happiness they generate. Closely connected to philosophical materialism, utilitarianism was extremely popular in 18th and 19th century England, spreading from there to the European continent.
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Utilitarianism Term Timeline in Beyond Good and Evil
The timeline below shows where the term Utilitarianism appears in Beyond Good and Evil. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
5. Natural History of Morals
...of Christian morality, too. Looking at Plato, Nietzsche finds that certain out-of-place instances of moral utilitarianism in his philosophy have their origin in “the rabble,” the crowd, an insight that he...
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7. Our Virtues
...concedes that it would not be improved as a topic of general interest. Turning to utilitarianism, he harshly criticizes the English for both Puritanism and “scientific morality”; the latter, Nietzsche argues,...
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8. Peoples and Fatherlands
...of music. Nietzsche then attacks Darwin, Mill, and Spencer for their theories of evolution and utilitarianism, which he finds narrow and mediocre; they produce mere knowledge, not philosophy. Indeed, Nietzsche finds...
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