Meaning of felicific calculus | Babel Free
Definitions
A quasi-mathematical technique proposed by 19th-century utilitarian ethical theorists for determining the net amount of happiness, pleasure, or utility resulting from an action, sometimes regarded as a precursor of cost-benefit analysis.
Examples
“Bentham's way of becoming the Newton of the moral world was to develop⟳ the "felicific calculus."”
“Peter Singer is a strict utilitarian who believes in the felicific calculus: that to behave ethically one’s actions must be calculated to bring⟳ about the maximum of pleasure and the minimum of pain.”
CEFR level
B2
Upper Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B2 vocabulary — upper intermediate level.
This word is part of the CEFR B2 vocabulary — upper intermediate level.
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