“utility”的概念、定义、翻译、参考文献-科学参考

utility

Mathematics

A measure of the total perceived value resulting from an outcome or course of action. This may be negative; for example, if an oil exploration company undertakes a survey showing that no oil can be extracted, the costs of undertaking the survey will be reflected in a negative utility for that outcome.

Statistics

A function that takes a numerical value for each possible state of a system (usually an economic system) and is intended as a measure of the benefit or usefulness of that state.

Internet

Software that carries out some useful process; for example, a program that archives the files that have been created by a user.

Geography

The satisfaction given to an individual by the goods and services used.

Philosophy

The basic unit of desirability in much decision theory, game theory, and economics. The difficulty is being sure that it refers to anything sufficiently definite to work with. This requires, for instance, that at least some comparisons of utility across different times and different people is possible. Stronger assumptions may require that utilities can be ordered in various scales, or summed and manipulated arithmetically (see felicific calculus; measurement, philosophy of). This may seem to involve a wild idealization, since although we might judge that this year’s holiday was better than last year’s, we are not apt to think it makes sense to say it was twice as good, or that it generated half as many units of utility as (say) a lifetime’s consumption of chocolate. Cautious work instead uses orderings of preferences: an outcome A has greater utility than outcome B (for subject x) if and only if x prefers A to B. Preferences are in turn revealed in actual or idealized choices, thus allowing the concept some behavioural and scientific respectability. Again, however, most traditions of ethical thought recognize more valuable and worthwhile goals to life than simply satisfying an arbitrary sequence of preferences. See also adaptive preferences.

Economics

1. A synonym for individual welfare. Utility can be interpreted literally as a measure of an individual’s happiness or, more functionally, as an economist’s summary of what guides individual choice. In the first interpretation the writings of 19th-century economists suggest an expectation that a device for measuring utility would eventually emerge from psychological research. This has not yet been realized, but monitoring of brain activity is increasingly part of joint neurological, psychological, and economic research. In the second interpretation utility is used as a tool for constructing a model of individual choice based on the argument that a rational individual will act as if decisions are made to maximize utility. See also cardinal utility; expected utility; marginal utility; ordinal utility.
2. A public utility, that is, a company that maintains the infrastructure for a public service, and often provides the service using that infrastructure. The public services involving utilities include electricity, water, gas, and transport.

单词	utility
释义	utility Mathematics A measure of the total perceived value resulting from an outcome or course of action. This may be negative; for example, if an oil exploration company undertakes a survey showing that no oil can be extracted, the costs of undertaking the survey will be reflected in a negative utility for that outcome. Statistics A function that takes a numerical value for each possible state of a system (usually an economic system) and is intended as a measure of the benefit or usefulness of that state. Internet Software that carries out some useful process; for example, a program that archives the files that have been created by a user. Geography The satisfaction given to an individual by the goods and services used. Philosophy The basic unit of desirability in much decision theory, game theory, and economics. The difficulty is being sure that it refers to anything sufficiently definite to work with. This requires, for instance, that at least some comparisons of utility across different times and different people is possible. Stronger assumptions may require that utilities can be ordered in various scales, or summed and manipulated arithmetically (see felicific calculus; measurement, philosophy of). This may seem to involve a wild idealization, since although we might judge that this year’s holiday was better than last year’s, we are not apt to think it makes sense to say it was twice as good, or that it generated half as many units of utility as (say) a lifetime’s consumption of chocolate. Cautious work instead uses orderings of preferences: an outcome A has greater utility than outcome B (for subject x) if and only if x prefers A to B. Preferences are in turn revealed in actual or idealized choices, thus allowing the concept some behavioural and scientific respectability. Again, however, most traditions of ethical thought recognize more valuable and worthwhile goals to life than simply satisfying an arbitrary sequence of preferences. See also adaptive preferences. Economics 1. A synonym for individual welfare. Utility can be interpreted literally as a measure of an individual’s happiness or, more functionally, as an economist’s summary of what guides individual choice. In the first interpretation the writings of 19th-century economists suggest an expectation that a device for measuring utility would eventually emerge from psychological research. This has not yet been realized, but monitoring of brain activity is increasingly part of joint neurological, psychological, and economic research. In the second interpretation utility is used as a tool for constructing a model of individual choice based on the argument that a rational individual will act as if decisions are made to maximize utility. See also cardinal utility; expected utility; marginal utility; ordinal utility. 2. A public utility, that is, a company that maintains the infrastructure for a public service, and often provides the service using that infrastructure. The public services involving utilities include electricity, water, gas, and transport.
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