Utilitarianism by Jeremy Bentham

Introduction

Utilitarianism is an ethical or philosophical theory first fully developed by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Bentham stated that humans were naturally governed by pleasure and pain, which are key determinants of their actions. It is often summed up by Bentham's slogan, “the greatest good for the greatest number.”Bentham's utilitarian ideal stated that an ethical person should base his/her actions on the promotion of the greatest good (pleasure) for the greatest number of people. There are also further distinctions between act and rule utilitarianism, based on the consideration of either individual ...