Utilitarianism: Jeremy Bentham And John Stuart Mill

Utilitarianism as an economic thought traced its principles and history to ethical philosophy. It is used in welfare economics in providing basis in policy making. Utilitarianism in general (or the present known meaning) is viewed as the morally right action is the action that produces the most good. It is best known for its view as “the greatest good for the greatest number”. Altruistic feature (universalistic hedoism)

(consequentialism)

Its history has two phases where the first phase is the gradual development in the direction of formal consistency and the second phase in the direction of doing justice to concrete moral ideals that opened itself to criticisms or its tendency of overstepping its own first principles (Albee, 1902). But

His thoughts of utility would be picked up by Bentham and his account of role sentiment in moral judgment and commitment to moral norms influenced Mill.

Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill are regarded as the Classical Utilitarians who had the desire to judge legal and social laws and see them changed. The society’s problems on the government urged them to further develop and officially call the theory, utilitarianism where they used early articulations as tools.

Jeremy Bentham is influenced by Hobbes principle of human nature and Hume’s social utility. He said that humans are ruled by two master, pleasure and pain, where they govern us of our actions. His idea on the principle of utility as the standard of right action where actions are approved when they promote happiness and disapproved when it causes pain combined with the criterion of rightness of Hobbesian psychological egoism, would then be changed. People act even if the act is not for their own and that would promote the overall good which is not true to Hobbesian psychological

The disappointments in the world are the effects of bad social institutions, ill-regulated desires and imprudence. And sacrifice is regarded as the highest virtue. It is learning to do without happiness, the greatest good for the good of others.

He also gave importance to internal sanctions. Sanctions are the source of obligation either external or internal. Internal sanctions are of the feeling in our own mind, the essence of conscience. It is natural of us to care for the good or welfare of others. Thus, it is called as the ultimate sanction of morality.

Henry Sidgwick responded to the views of Bentham and Mill. In his work “The Methods of Ethics”, it is a defense of utilitarianism. He clarified some features of utilitarianism. He said that when facing a problem on population growth and utility, it shouldn’t only reach a greater average utility but also increase population until it has maximize product of the number of persons and amount of average happiness.

G.E. Moore disagreed with Bentham and Mill with their reference to hedonism but agreed that humans are required to promote good and argues that it is more than