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  • Essay / Jeremy Bentham and The Foundation of Utilitarianism

    In the 1800s, the Industrial Revolution caused many people to reconsider the laws introduced into society. One of the people who wanted change was an English philosopher named Jeremy Bentham. His views on law came from this industrial revolution in the 18th century, there were a lot of laws that Jeremy Bentham deemed unfair, that's what he wanted to change. And he did, using the utility. This essay will explain a little more about him and what led him to reform the law rather than practice it. He will also talk about his main belief known today as utilitarianism. It will then move on to the pros and cons of utility and utilitarianism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayBentham was an English philosopher, social reformer and founder of utilitarianism, and jurist. He was a native of Houndsditch, City of London, United Kingdom, born in 1748 and died aged 84 after a long and successful life. He was a defender of individual and economic freedoms, the separation of church and state, the right to divorce and he even went further by wishing for equal rights for women. Bentham also wanted to abolish slavery and capital punishment and also wanted animal rights. He also did not believe in natural laws. Bentham came from a family of lawyers and attended Westminster School and Queen's College, Oxford. He then became a legal practitioner before abandoning it because he was frustrated by the complexity of the law and its injustice. His views were structured around the industrial revolution and the way people were treated, which is why he wanted to reform the law. He influenced many philosophers who followed his work after his death on June 6, 1832. Jeremy Bentham once exclaimed: "The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morality and legislation." » This quote explains that actions are considered good if they are useful or for the benefit of society. This is ultimately what Jeremy Bentham believed, that laws should be introduced into society if they bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. He believed that the basis and origin of law came from this idea called utility. He wanted to recreate the law to work with society and ensure that the laws introduced increased pleasure and happiness. Bentham also believed that actions have consequences and that if you experience more pleasure from performing a specific action, the consequences will be that you will experience pleasure. However, if you do an action that causes pain, the consequences will also be painful. One of the benefits of utilitarianism is that it is a theory that aims to implement good in society and develop laws that will benefit society as a whole. We look for actions that will bring us the most pleasure overall. This would be an advantage because it generally introduces positive actions and consequences into society. This encourages people to choose actions that will benefit them and cause them to feel more pleasure than pain. Utilitarianism is a process that allows us to independently determine what is wrong and what is right from a moral and ethical perspective. It focuses on the outcome of the action, otherwise known as a consequence, rather than the motive for the action. This also includes science in the equation, which reassures some people, because when science is used it must..