Literary notes about utility (AI summary)
The term "utility" weaves through literature with a rich diversity of meanings, from the abstract philosophical ideals to concrete technical functions. In some works it embodies a measure of practical value or benefit, such as the effectiveness of a tool or the economic advantages of a system [1][2][3]. In philosophical and moral discourse, it is often invoked to weigh the worth of actions, institutions, or even aesthetics, with authors debating whether moral virtue and truth can be subsumed under the principle of utility [4][5][6][7]. Meanwhile, historical and political texts employ it to underscore social benefits or institutional necessities, highlighting its role in shaping policies and public opinion [8][9][10]. Even in literature that straddles the technical and the poetic, utility emerges as a critical concept that bridges the gap between idealistic purpose and pragmatic use [11][12].
- Finally, you decode the file using a special utility program (often called UUDECODE).
— from The Online World by Odd De Presno - Utility programs for MS-DOS computers are stored in directory 10.
— from The Online World by Odd De Presno - There's a utility on the ParanoidLinux distro you're using that does this -- it's called photonomous, and you'll find it in /usr/bin.
— from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - Most people will readily allow, that the useful qualities of the mind are virtuous, because of their utility.
— from A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume - Ideas of utility, like those of duty and right, may be pushed to unpleasant consequences.
— from Gorgias by Plato - OF WHAT SORT OF PROOF THE PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY IS SUSCEPTIBLE CHAPTER V. OF THE CONNEXION BETWEEN JUSTICE AND UTILITY UTILITARIANISM.
— from Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill - Utility should be placed first, not beauty.
— from Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol - Effects of balls (utility of large calibres;) of howitzer shells and of shells.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - This cause here concurs with the public utility, which consists in the encouragement given to industry and labour.
— from An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals by David Hume - Social utility alone can decide the preference.
— from Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill - This story shows that what you contemn is often found of more utility than what you load with praises.
— from The Fables of Phædrus by Phaedrus - Natural science is recommended on the ground of its practical utility, but is taught as a special accomplishment in removal from application.
— from Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education by John Dewey
