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utility

A Dictionary of Sociology | 1998 | Copyright

utility In economic theory, utility is defined as the benefit or satisfaction which is derived from the consumption of a commodity. In eighteenth-century moral philosophy, it meant ‘the greatest happiness principle’: actions are right if they tend to promote happiness. Early sociologists, for example Émile Durkheim, criticized the utility principle, because it provided an inadequate explanation of social order.

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GORDON MARSHALL. "utility." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2010 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

GORDON MARSHALL. "utility." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2010). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-utility.html

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