How should social and political policy be structured? In a society that places happiness as the highest good, policy should achieve "the greatest good for the greatest number of people." Those words form the basis for the idea behind utilitarianism, or utility, which places the achievement of happiness and the attainment of pleasure above all other goods. To maximize the utility of happiness, decisions and policy need to revolve around the outcomes they produce. The greater number of people who benefit from an action, the greater its utility. This landmark book on utilitarianism reveals the logic behind the belief and makes the case for "the greatest happiness principle."