The theory of 'Utilitarianism' was first introduced in the eighteenth century by the English theologian Jeremy Bentham.

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    The theory of ‘Utilitarianism’ was first introduced in the eighteenth century by the English theologian Jeremy Bentham. The eighteenth century was a time of huge scientific and social change with revolutions taking place in both France and America, therefore the demand for social reform and democracy in particular, was of great importance to the people of that time. Bentham introduced in his book ‘The Principles of Morals and Legislation’ (1789) the theory of utilitarianism which can be divided into three parts:

  1. his view on human being and what he perceived ‘goodness’ and ‘badness’ to be.
  2. The principle of ‘utility’ (from the Latin ‘utilis’ meaning ‘useful’) which is his moral rule.
  3. The hedonic calculus, which was Bentham’ system for measuring how positive or negative a consequence is.

   The theory of ‘Utilitarianism’ is a teleological theory meaning that it is concerned with the outcome of actions.  Bentham believed that human being were motivated by pleasure and pain, implying that he was a ‘hedonist’. Bentham states, ‘Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pleasure and pain. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do.’ It  is evident therefore, that Bentham believed human beings pursued pleasure and sought to avoid pain, which he described as being a ‘moral fact.’ As a hedonist, Bentham believed that pleasure was the sole good and pain the sole evil.

   Having identified the two possibly outcomes of any action being pleasure or pain, Bentham sought to identify the rightness or wrongness of any action by through its ‘utility’ or the amount of happiness caused by the action. This is other wise known as the ‘Greatest Happiness Principle’: ‘a principle which approves or disapproves of every action according to the tendency to which it appears to augment or diminish the happiness of the party whose interest is in question.’ In essence, the theory states that the action that brings about the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people, is the right action. This is a democratic statement as the pleasure received from the action isn’t for one person alone, but for the greatest number. Bentham believed that when faced with a moral dilemma, one should act in such a way that would bring the maximum amount of happiness to the greatest number of people, no matter what pain it would cause yourself or the minority of people.

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    What becomes evident to the reader, is one’s natural inability to calculate pleasure. In order to overcome this problem Bentham introduced the hedonic calculus, that simply calculates the pleasure and pain achieved by moral actions, in order to decide which will bring about the greatest pleasure for the greatest number. The calculus is based on seven factors:

  1. The intensity of pleasure.
  2. The duration of pleasure.
  3. The certainty or uncertainty of pleasure.
  4. The remoteness of the pleasure.
  5. The chance of pleasure being followed by pleasurable sensations.
  6. The purity of the pleasure and the chance of it not ...

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