Jeremy Bentham Term Paper

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For instance, some action by the government could produce numerous pleasures for a small portion of the population, or it could produce a small bit of pleasure for the entire populous; Bentham seems to endorse both outcomes, but it is easy to imagine situations in which the two might conflict. He leaves us with no way to address this dilemma. Perhaps Bentham believed that he properly attended to this objection by contending that pleasure comes in one variety -- only being separated by time interval and intensity -- but it is still possible to enjoy a finite number of singular pleasures, and he fails to indicate how such pleasures should be distributed throughout a just society.

Bentham's hedonism is psychological as well. He writes, "Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do." Such a position implies that human beings are by their very nature pleasure-seekers; this, obviously, suggests a level of egoism to each individual person's actions. The trouble with this psychological stance is that it then questions Bentham's ethical stance -- the greatest happiness of the greatest number -- because for this to be applicable to society it requires selfless actions. He recognizes this and offers the practical solution of societal sanctions.

Bentham believes that for his moral ideal to be obtained that people who engage in antisocial -- egoist -- behavior should be punished for their actions only to the point where their subsequent unhappiness does not outweigh the pain they may have otherwise inflicted.

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To Bentham, such a functioning of society is only possible under the direction of a "free" government. Centrally, "Free government in a stable social condition is characterized by a balance of punctual obedience and free censure, which leads to a steady and secure form of social change and progress." So the consequence of Bentham's utilitarianism is that there is a two sided pull within any society with a centralized government: an utterly free government -- one that is unrestricted -- and a government that is dedicated to fostering the individual freedoms of those under its control. In the latter sense, the government merely functions as an institution of security; it ensures the expression of the greatest happiness principle by sanctioning those who step out of line with it by moving towards egoism.

Overall, Bentham's orchestration of political liberty is uniquely tied to his take on the ideas of utility, hedonism, and psychological egoism. Only by making the boundaries of permissible human actions clear can society at large enjoy liberty, and be free to pursue their own happiness. This is the core rational behind government, punishment, and social morality that made Jeremy Bentham one of the most noteworthy philosophers to ever write in the English language.

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