Jeremy BenthamLaminato, Charles Lindoln-Jay D.

Ocampo, Miguel Angelo C.

History: Birth

• Born: On February 15, 1748• Where: Red Lion Street, Houndsditch, London• Died: June 6, 1832• Where: Queen Square Place in Westminster, London

History: Family

• He came from a wealthy family that supported the Tory party (Political party from England in the 17th-19th century)• His great grandfather was a wealthy pawnbroker in the city of

London.• His grandfather and father were lawyers. His father had no large

practice, but made a considerable fortune by the purchase and sale of land. • His mother, Alicia Grove, was the daughter of a shopkeeper at

Andover.• Had a close relationship with his brother, Samuel Bentham.

History: The Child Prodigy

• He was found, as a toddler, sitting at his father's desk reading a multi-volume history of England.• At age 3, he already started to study Latin.• At age 7, he studied at Westminster school where he built a

reputation in writing Greek and Latin verses.• At age 12, in 1760, he went to Queensland college at Oxford wherein

he finished his Bachelor’s degree by 1763.• Subsequently, he pursued a master’s degree at the same school

wherein finished it by 1766.

History: The Child Prodigy

• By 1769, he took the bar and became lawyer but never practiced law because when he was still in Oxford, he participated in the lectures made by Sir William Blackstone (a leading jurist and a judge during this time), which in turn he thought are lectures full with fallacies.• Instead, he wrote criticisms that would much likely improve

laws(Which is the next slide).

History: Work

1. “A fragment on government” (1776)2. “An introduction to the principles of morals and legislation” (1789)- In both works, he formulated the principle of utility: meaning “any object whereby it tends to produce pleasure, good or happiness, or to prevent the happening of mischief, pain, evil or unhappiness to the party whose interest is considered.” - He stated that the people is governed by 2 things, pain and pleasure:a. Pleasure - The enjoyable feeling we experience when a state of deprivation is replaced by fulfillment.b. Pain - An unpleasant feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli

History: Work

• Utilitarianism- The purpose of morality is to make the world a better place.- Morality is about producing good consequences, not having good intentions- We should do whatever will bring the most benefit (i.e., intrinsic value) to all of humanity.- The purpose of morality is to guide people’s actions in such a way as to produce a better world.

• In relation to legal reformation, the objective of all legislation must be the “greatest happiness of the greatest number.” He deduced from the principle of utility that, since all punishment involves pain and is therefore evil, it ought only to be used “so far as it promises to exclude some greater evil.”

Moral Philosophy Jeremy Bentham

• Principal Characteristics which constitutes the basis of Bentham’s mpral Philosopy

• the greatest happiness principle,• universal egoism • the artificial identification of one's interests with those of others

Greatest happiness principle

• Bentham's moral philosophy reflects what he calls at different times "the greatest happiness principle" or "the principle of utility"—a term which he borrows from Hume. In adverting to this principle, however, he was not referring to just the usefulness of things or actions, but to the extent to which these things or actions promote the general happiness

• What is morally obligatory is that which produces the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.• Happiness being determined by reference to the presence of

pleasure and the absence of pain

• Simply described as “ the art of directing men’s action to the production of greatest possible quantity of happiness, on the part on those whose interest is in view”

Utilitarianism

• Utilitarians believe that the purpose of morality is to make life better by increasing the amount of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) in the world and decreasing the amount of bad things (such as pain and unhappiness).

Moral Issue today:

• The RH Law• It gives medical and legal assurance on sex education wherein it

involves the use of contraceptives, fertility control and maternal care• Taxpayer’s money are being directed to such law that aim’s to reduce

poverty and not to deprive newborn’s life.

• Utilitarianism favors the R.H. Law because it seeks the greatest happiness and greatest good as Jeremy Bentham stated. It is in line with the principle of “the greatest happiness of the greatest number” of Jeremy Bentham. In taking into account all of the foregoing, the counter-arguments like abortion and the like would only produce less pain therefore, less evil, in comparison to the good and greater outcome which is to prevent poverty. Not only do the state and the people slowly rise up from poverty but they also get informed and be wise about family planning.

Sources

• http://www.victorianweb.org/philosophy/bentham.html• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/61103/Jeremy-Bentham• http://spartacus-educational.com/PRbentham.htm• http://www.utilitarianism.com/bentham.htm• http://www.utilitarianism.com/jeremy-bentham/life.html• http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Bentham-Project/who• http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/jeremy-bentham-307.php