Study Notes on Jeremy Bentham and Utilitarianism

PHIL 133: Introduction to Ethics and Value

Jeremy Bentham and Utilitarianism

  • Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)

    • An English philosopher, jurist, and social reformer.

    • Founder of utilitarianism.

    • Advocated for evaluating actions based on their consequences, particularly their effects on happiness.

  • Key Contributions:

    • Advocated for individual freedoms, free markets, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state.

    • Proponent of:

    • Right to divorce

    • Equal rights for women

    • Animal rights

    • Abolition of slavery and capital punishment

    • Opposition to corporal punishment

  • Principles of Morals and Legislation:

    • Early chapters outline Bentham's principles, particularly focusing on happiness.

Chapter I: Of the Principle of Utility

  • Governance of Humans:

    • Mankind is governed by two sovereign masters: pain and pleasure.

    • These determine actions and consequences.

    • Human actions are subject to the dominion of pain and pleasure despite attempts to resist.

    • Principle of Utility:

    • Recognizes the subjection to pain and pleasure as foundational for moral reasoning.

    • Systems challenging this principle rely on irrationality rather than reason.

  • Definition of the Principle of Utility:

    • Approves/disapproves of actions based on their ability to enhance or diminish happiness.

    • Applies to both individuals and government measures.

  • Understanding Utility:

    • Utility is the property of any object that produces benefit, pleasure, or happiness, or prevents pain or evil.

    • When considering community: Happiness is the aggregate of the individual's happiness.

    • When considering individuals: Happiness is aligned with the promotion of their pleasures and the reduction of their pains.

  • Interest of the Community:

    • The community is seen as a fictitious body made up of individual interests.

    • Decision-making must consider the interests of both the community and the individual.

  • Conformity to Utility:

    • An action is conformable to utility if it promotes community happiness more than it detracts from it.

    • A government measure aligns with utility when its benefits surpass its detriments.

  • Laws of Utility:

    • Actions can be viewed as conforming to utility when their consequences improve the community's happiness overall.

  • Partisan of Utility:

    • Individuals supporting the principle of utility base their judgments on its tendency to enhance or limit communal happiness.

  • Understanding 'Ought' and 'Right':

    • Actions conforming to utility can be deemed as 'ought to be done' or 'right,' while those against may be termed as 'ought not to be done' or 'wrong.'

Ethical Implications and Challenges to Utility

  • Contestations Against Utility:

    • Challenging the principle of utility is deemed unnecessary and impossible; its validity is largely self-evident in human behavior.

  • Human Behavior and Consistency:

    • Most individuals implicitly embrace utility; however, consistent application is rare due to preferences, misunderstandings, or biases.

  • Refutations and Defense of the Principle:

    • Arguments against utility often inadvertently reinforce it, highlighting the inconsistency of opposing it without applying its own logic.

    • A personal disapproval of utility, without stringent criteria, leads to subjective opinions lacking universal standards.

  • Exploring Alternative Principles:

    • Should one reject utility, they must examine the basis for their judgment:

    1. Will it lead to a consistent method of operation?

    2. Does each individual's differing sentiments create confusion or inconsistency?

    3. Can alternative principles stand apart from utility without relying on its foundational logic?

Chapter IV: Value of Pleasure and Pain

  • Legislative Consideration of Pleasure and Pain:

    • Legislators must comprehend the value of pleasures and pains as they craft laws.

  • Estimation of Value: Circumstances affecting value include:

    1. Intensity: Strength of the pleasure or pain.

    2. Duration: Length of time the pleasure or pain lasts.

    3. Certainty/Uncertainty: Likelihood of the pleasure or pain occurring.

    4. Propinquity/Remoteness: How soon the pleasure or pain occurs after the action.

  • Assessment for Consequences:

    • For assessing the impact of actions:

    1. Fecundity: Likelihood of resulting in further pleasures or pains.

    2. Purity: Likelihood of not leading to contrary sensations.

  • Value in Community Context:

    • When evaluating the effect of actions on communities, the seven criteria must be considered alongside the total number of individuals affected.

Application of the Evaluation Process

  • Procedure for Estimating impacts of actions:

    • Begin with one person affected:

    1. Assess the initial pleasures and pains produced.

    2. Evaluate subsequent pleasures and pains stemming from the original effects.

    • Total these values to determine the action's overall good or bad tendency.

    • Repeat for each affected individual to outline the general tendencies for the community.

  • Validity of the Theory:

    • The framework reflects common human practices in recognizing utility in various aspects of personal interests.

  • Property Value Connection:

    • Property value is intrinsic to the pleasures and pains it can generate/avert.

    • Values fluctuate based on time, certainty and the specific utility derived from the property.