Word: utilitarianism
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
White's own attitude may be glimpsed in an editorial he wrote on a Cornell dean's defense of education. The dean had completely rejected an utilitarian understanding of education. White wrote, "It takes a genius to ignore the material side of education and still leave his mark. And universities aim to develop men and not geniuses. "It is characteristic of White that he wished to be thought of as a man and not as a genius...
...this effort is utilitarian. Concern even about the long-range effects of low voter turnout on a democratic society notwithstanding, both political parties are keenly aware of the impact a rise in the amount of voters could have on the election...
...HAVE THE great Zionist hopes of Theodore Herzl and Chaim Weizman been tainted with so much bloodshed? In utilitarian terms, has the end justified the means? Here, Oz lets another bombshell drop. This time, it is calculated to offend, for he dabbles in the realm of the irrational--religion. Israelis are different from Jews in the rest of the world, he argues. The Diaspora is the "museum civilization." If any spiritual existence remains at all, he says, it has degenerated into the interpretation of the meaning of the interpretations, "until finally all that is left is to polish the artifacts...
Where do you draw the line between the sacred and the profane; between what can be engineered and what is off limits? If you believe that life has no intrinsic value, that living things are subject to utilitarian goals to satisfy greed, then you have no purpose which must be accepted and nurtured, then it is impossible to accept [this engineering]on any level...
...Sullivan waxes eloquent about the structure's "post-modernist statement." It uses, he adds, "traditional shapes and forms, putting them together in a much different way." Gund says, "The reason for some of the detail is to make it not look like a toll booth, not make it look utilitarian...