whiff(3) (iou) and utilitarianism (sh)

whiff(3) (iou)

whiff verb1. L16.
[from WHIFF noun1.]
verb intrans. Of the wind: blow with a slight gust; move with or make the sound of this. L16.
b. verb trans. Utter with a puff of air. M18.
verb trans. Drive or carry (as) by a puff of air; blow away, out, etc. E17.
b. verb intrans. Move lightly as if blown by a puff of air. E17.
verb trans. & intrans. Puff out (smoke) from a pipe etc.; smoke (a pipe etc.). E17.
verb trans. Drink (liquor). Only in 17.
colloq.
a. verb trans. Get a (slight) smell of, smell. M17.
b. verb intrans. Sniff, smell. M19.
c. verb intrans. Emit an unpleasant odour. L19.
US slang.
a. verb intrans. Of a Baseball batter or a golfer: miss the ball. E20.
b. verb trans. Cause (a Baseball batter) to strike out. E20.
whiffer noun E17.

utilitarianism (sh)

Ethical principle according to which an action is right if it tends to maximize happiness, not only that of the agent but also of everyone affected.

Thus, utilitarians focus on the consequences of an act rather than on its intrinsic Nature or the motives of the agent (see consequentialism). Classical utilitarianism is hedonist, but values Other than, or in addition to, pleasure (ideal utilitarianism) can be employed, or
more neutrally, and in a version popular in Economics
anything can be regarded as valuable that appears as an object of rational or informed desire (preference utilitarianism). The test of utility maximization can also be applied directly to single acts (act utilitarianism), or to acts only indirectly through some Other suitable object of moral assessment, such as rules of conduct (rule utilitarianism). Jeremy Bentham's Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789) and John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism (1863) are major statements of utilitarianism.

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