Bentham
Jeremy (1748 1832)
From: An In t roduction to the Principles of Morals & Legislation (1789) Int r insic good vs. inst rumental good What does Bentham hold to be int rinsically good? What does Bentham equate with this (see Part I I I) Bentham's moral psychology (where his principle comes from). H is goal (in terms of a system) What does Bentham mean by "utili ty" (see Part I I I) What principle? (see Part I I) How do we judge an action's utility "Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. I t is for them alone to point out what we ought to do as well as to determine what we shall do." does How Bentham understand a "community" For Bentham, the community is simply the sum of individuals The whole is not greater than the sum of its parts
From where does the idea of "ought" arise Naturalism: "ought and "shall" come from what pain and pleasure tell us to do.
We are, as human beings, guided by pain and pleasure. Morality is rational analysis and judgment of pain and pleasure.
(see Part X but also Part I) Can the principle be proven? Why or why not? Where do people err? (see Part XI I I) How do we calculate utili ty (see Parts I-IV of next section) Do we need to calculate before every act? (Part VI)