Jeremy Bentham, the founder of Utilitarianism, combined throughout his active life the carriers of a
philosopher, a jurist and that of a social reformer and activist. Though trained to be a lawyer, he gave
up the practice of law in order to examine the basis of law and to pursue legal reforms. His utilitarian
philosophy based on the principle of the “greatest happiness of the greatest number” was aimed at
rearing the fabric of felicity of prison, legislation and parliament and stressed the need for a new
penal code for England. It was for these reasons that he has been regarded by J.S. Mill as a
“progressive philosopher”, the great benefactor of mankind’ and enemy of the status quo and the
greatest questioner of things established.
From the middle of the 18th century, England experienced a technological and industrial
transformation whose impact was revolutionary from the view point of new social ideas and a new
material environment. Socially, the industrial revolution was responsible for three complementary
developments; first the growth of new and the rapid expansion of old towns and cities; second the
increase in population made possible by higher living standards and improved conditions of health;
third the destruction of the existing social hierarchy headed by the landed aristocracy and its gradual
replacement by the manufacturers, financiers, merchants and professional men as the new
dominant social class. The war with France (1793-1815)provided the conservative government in
Britain with a welcome opportunity to repress democratic and radical ideas under the pretext of
fighting Jacobinism. The defeat of Napoleon and the revival of the old European order at the
Congress of Vienna (1815) seemed to put an end to the nightmare of revolution and democracy. As
Prof. Sabine has pointed out, the rising middle classes in Britain inevitably developed a new social
and political philosophy that was clearly distinct from Burke’s adulation of landed aristocracy, as well
as from Paine’s radicalism and Godwin’s anarchy” . What was needed was a political faith reflecting
the outlook of the middle classes, which was essentially empirical optimistic willing to innovate and
eager to translate natural science into technology and industry and political science into government
and administration.
QUANTITATIVE UTILITY
Utilitarianism as a school of thought dominated English political thinking form the middle of
the 18th century to the middle of the 19th century. Some of the early utilitarian’s were Francis
Hutcheson, Hume, Priestly, William Paley. But it was Bentham who systematically laid down its
theory and made it popular on the basis of his innumerable proposals for reform. Bentham’s merit
consisted of not in the doctrine but in his vigorous application of it to various practical problems.
Through James Mill, Bentham developed close links with Thomas Malthus and David Ricardo
getting acquainted with the ideas of the classical economists.
The basic premise of utilitarianism was that human beings as a rule sought happiness that
pleasure alone is good, and that the only right action was that which produced the greatest
happiness of the greatest number In the hands of Bentham, the pleasure pain theory evolved into a
scientific principle to be applied to the policies of the state welfare measures and for administrative,
penal and legislative reforms. He shared Machiavelli’s concern for a science of politics, not in the
understanding the dynamics of political power, but in the hope of promoting and securing the
happiness of individuals through legislation and policies.
Utilitarianism provided a psychological perspective on human nature, for it perceived human
beings as creatures of pleasure. Bentham began the first chapter of An Introduction to the Principles
of Morals and Legislation thus: “Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign
masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do as well as to
determine what we shall do. On the one hand the standard of right and wrong, on the other the
chain of causes and effects, are fastened to their throne. They govern us in all we do, in all we say,
in all we think: A man may pretend to abjure their empire: but in reality he will remain subject to it
all the while. The principle of utility recognises thus subjection, and assumes it for the foundation of
that system, the object of which is to rear the fabric of felicity by the hand of reason and of law”.
Bentham believes that human beings by nature were hedonists. Each of their actions were
motivated by a desire to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Every human action has a cause and a
motive. The principles of utility recognised this basic psychological trait, for it “approves or
disapproves every action whatsoever, according to the tendency which it appears to have to
argument or diminish the happiness of the party whose interest is in question………… not only of
every action of a private individual but of every measure of government’;. Thus the principle of utility
or the greatest happiness of the greatest number, is that quality in an act or object that produces
benefit, advantage pleasure, good or happiness or prevent mischief, pain, evil or unhappiness.
For Bentham, utilitarianism was both a descriptive and normative theory, - it not only
described how human beings act so as to maximise pleasure and minimise pain, but it also
prescribed or advocated such action. According to the principle of utility, the cause of all human
action is a desire for pleasure. But utility is meant that property in any object, where by it tends to
produce benefit, advantage, pleasure good or happiness.
ASSESSMENT
Bentham was not an outstanding philosopher though paradoxically he occupies an important
place in the history of political philosophy. Bentham’s main contribution to political science was not
that he offered a novel principle of political philosophy but that he ‘ steadily applied an empirical and
ciritical method of investigation to concrete problems of law and government.’ It was an attempt ‘to
extend the experimental method of reasoning from the physical branch to the moral’. Whatever
may be the criticisms levelled against Bentham’s theory of utility’, it is beyond dispute that
Bentham ‘ changed the character of British institutions more than any other man in the nineteenth
century’.
We cannot regard Bentham as the greatest critical thinker of his age and country. According
to C.L. Wayper, it was “Benthamism which brought to an end the era of legislative stagnation
and ushered in that period of increasing legislative activity which has not yet ended and under the
cumulative effects of which we are living our lives today”. He supplied a new measurement for social
reform- the maximising of individual happiness.
Bentham exercised a great influence upon theories of sovereignty and law. Law was not a
mystic mandate of reason or nature. But simply the command of that authority to which the
members of community render habitual obedience. He considered the power of the sovereign as
indivisible unlimited, inalienable and permanent. As Prof. Sabine has rightly pointed out, Bentham’s
greatest contribution was in the field of jurisprudence and government.
So this is all about my article.
philosopher, a jurist and that of a social reformer and activist. Though trained to be a lawyer, he gave
up the practice of law in order to examine the basis of law and to pursue legal reforms. His utilitarian
philosophy based on the principle of the “greatest happiness of the greatest number” was aimed at
rearing the fabric of felicity of prison, legislation and parliament and stressed the need for a new
penal code for England. It was for these reasons that he has been regarded by J.S. Mill as a
“progressive philosopher”, the great benefactor of mankind’ and enemy of the status quo and the
greatest questioner of things established.
From the middle of the 18th century, England experienced a technological and industrial
transformation whose impact was revolutionary from the view point of new social ideas and a new
material environment. Socially, the industrial revolution was responsible for three complementary
developments; first the growth of new and the rapid expansion of old towns and cities; second the
increase in population made possible by higher living standards and improved conditions of health;
third the destruction of the existing social hierarchy headed by the landed aristocracy and its gradual
replacement by the manufacturers, financiers, merchants and professional men as the new
dominant social class. The war with France (1793-1815)provided the conservative government in
Britain with a welcome opportunity to repress democratic and radical ideas under the pretext of
fighting Jacobinism. The defeat of Napoleon and the revival of the old European order at the
Congress of Vienna (1815) seemed to put an end to the nightmare of revolution and democracy. As
Prof. Sabine has pointed out, the rising middle classes in Britain inevitably developed a new social
and political philosophy that was clearly distinct from Burke’s adulation of landed aristocracy, as well
as from Paine’s radicalism and Godwin’s anarchy” . What was needed was a political faith reflecting
the outlook of the middle classes, which was essentially empirical optimistic willing to innovate and
eager to translate natural science into technology and industry and political science into government
and administration.
QUANTITATIVE UTILITY
Utilitarianism as a school of thought dominated English political thinking form the middle of
the 18th century to the middle of the 19th century. Some of the early utilitarian’s were Francis
Hutcheson, Hume, Priestly, William Paley. But it was Bentham who systematically laid down its
theory and made it popular on the basis of his innumerable proposals for reform. Bentham’s merit
consisted of not in the doctrine but in his vigorous application of it to various practical problems.
Through James Mill, Bentham developed close links with Thomas Malthus and David Ricardo
getting acquainted with the ideas of the classical economists.
The basic premise of utilitarianism was that human beings as a rule sought happiness that
pleasure alone is good, and that the only right action was that which produced the greatest
happiness of the greatest number In the hands of Bentham, the pleasure pain theory evolved into a
scientific principle to be applied to the policies of the state welfare measures and for administrative,
penal and legislative reforms. He shared Machiavelli’s concern for a science of politics, not in the
understanding the dynamics of political power, but in the hope of promoting and securing the
happiness of individuals through legislation and policies.
Utilitarianism provided a psychological perspective on human nature, for it perceived human
beings as creatures of pleasure. Bentham began the first chapter of An Introduction to the Principles
of Morals and Legislation thus: “Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign
masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do as well as to
determine what we shall do. On the one hand the standard of right and wrong, on the other the
chain of causes and effects, are fastened to their throne. They govern us in all we do, in all we say,
in all we think: A man may pretend to abjure their empire: but in reality he will remain subject to it
all the while. The principle of utility recognises thus subjection, and assumes it for the foundation of
that system, the object of which is to rear the fabric of felicity by the hand of reason and of law”.
Bentham believes that human beings by nature were hedonists. Each of their actions were
motivated by a desire to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Every human action has a cause and a
motive. The principles of utility recognised this basic psychological trait, for it “approves or
disapproves every action whatsoever, according to the tendency which it appears to have to
argument or diminish the happiness of the party whose interest is in question………… not only of
every action of a private individual but of every measure of government’;. Thus the principle of utility
or the greatest happiness of the greatest number, is that quality in an act or object that produces
benefit, advantage pleasure, good or happiness or prevent mischief, pain, evil or unhappiness.
For Bentham, utilitarianism was both a descriptive and normative theory, - it not only
described how human beings act so as to maximise pleasure and minimise pain, but it also
prescribed or advocated such action. According to the principle of utility, the cause of all human
action is a desire for pleasure. But utility is meant that property in any object, where by it tends to
produce benefit, advantage, pleasure good or happiness.
ASSESSMENT
Bentham was not an outstanding philosopher though paradoxically he occupies an important
place in the history of political philosophy. Bentham’s main contribution to political science was not
that he offered a novel principle of political philosophy but that he ‘ steadily applied an empirical and
ciritical method of investigation to concrete problems of law and government.’ It was an attempt ‘to
extend the experimental method of reasoning from the physical branch to the moral’. Whatever
may be the criticisms levelled against Bentham’s theory of utility’, it is beyond dispute that
Bentham ‘ changed the character of British institutions more than any other man in the nineteenth
century’.
We cannot regard Bentham as the greatest critical thinker of his age and country. According
to C.L. Wayper, it was “Benthamism which brought to an end the era of legislative stagnation
and ushered in that period of increasing legislative activity which has not yet ended and under the
cumulative effects of which we are living our lives today”. He supplied a new measurement for social
reform- the maximising of individual happiness.
Bentham exercised a great influence upon theories of sovereignty and law. Law was not a
mystic mandate of reason or nature. But simply the command of that authority to which the
members of community render habitual obedience. He considered the power of the sovereign as
indivisible unlimited, inalienable and permanent. As Prof. Sabine has rightly pointed out, Bentham’s
greatest contribution was in the field of jurisprudence and government.
So this is all about my article.
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