greatest happiness
Peak of contentment
Greatest happiness is a phrase from utilitarian philosophy, referring to the principle that the most ethical action is the one producing the maximum well-being for the greatest number of people.
Jeremy Bentham's formulation—the greatest happiness of the greatest number—became the foundation of consequentialist ethics.
The phrase now appears in discussions of policy, economics, and moral reasoning whenever collective welfare must be weighed against individual interests.
- blissPerfect, serene felicity
- joyIntense positive emotion
- over the moonExtremely delighted
- ecstasyOverwhelming intense delight
- euphoriaIntense emotional high
pure bliss · cloud nine · contentment · elation · rapture · seventh heaven · fulfillment · heart's desire · delight · joie de vivre · utopia · nirvana · paradise · state of grace · peak · sublime · flourishing · wellbeing
- philosophy termstruth, reason, knowledge, wisdom, logic
- well-beingwell-being, wellbeing, wellness, contentment, flourishing
- philosophyethics, logic, metaphysics, ontology, epistemology
- Victorian PhilosophyJohn Stuart Mill, utilitarianism, empiricism, idealism, positivism