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Was Bentham a Utilitarian?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 October 2005

Max Hocutt
Max Hocutt
Affiliation:
The University of Alabama
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Abstract

Abstract. Utilitarianism is usually defined as the doctrine that morally right and legally just conduct maximizes the good for the most people, and this doctrine is usually criticized on the grounds that it licenses conduct known by other means to be wrong or unjust. Yet Jeremy Bentham, the historical prototype of a utilitarian, maintained that individuals ought to do only what promises to serve their personal interests, and he offered utility as the test not of what is right or just but of what ought to be made so by instituting better rules. Textbook utilitarianism is a better fit for the “theological utilitarians” William Paley and Henry Sidgwick.

Résumé. On définit d'habitude l'utilitarisme comme la doctrine prétendant qu'une conduite moralement bonne et légalement juste concourt au bien du plus grand nombre de personnes; en général, cette doctrine est critiquée parce qu'elle permet des conduites dont on sait, par d'autres moyens, qu'elles sont mauvaises ou injustes. Pourtant, Jeremy Bentham, le prototype historique de l'utilitariste, prétendait que l'individu se devait de faire seulement ce qui servait ses propres intérêts, et il présentait l'utilité comme le test non de ce qui est bon ou juste mais de ce qui devrait le devenir par l'institution de meilleures règles. L'utilitarisme des manuels décrit mieux les “ utilitaristes théologiens ” William Paley et Henry Sidgwick.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 38 , Issue 3 , September 2005 , pp. 697 - 717
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

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