Bentham’s Utility Calculus Presented by Seth L. Blumberg ENG 3060 §003 Spring/Summer 2009

A universal ethical recipe  The utility calculus (a.k.a. felicific calculus) claims to be a universal recipe for determining the right thing to do in any situation.  It takes the form of a quasi-mathematical algorithm, with variables to which no actual numbers can be assigned.  Utility = f (Intensity, Duration, Certainty, Nearness, Fecundity, Purity, Extent)

Jeremy Bentham  Late 18 th /early 19 th Century English philosopher  Wrote about philosophy of law and government  One of the founders of Utilitarianism  Invented the utility calculus Source: Wikimedia Commons, painting by William Henry Pickersgill (National Portrait Gallery, London UK)

Utilitarianism  Ethical system based solely on consequences of actions  “Greatest good for the greatest number”  Utility = total good or evil tendency of an action  Bentham identified good with pleasure, evil with pain

The utility equation  Sum over all people (the i’s) — extent  Sum over all kinds of pleasure/pain (the j’s)  Six variables for each kind of pleasure or pain: IntensityNearness (propinquity) DurationFecundity CertaintyPurity  Positive for pleasure, negative for pain U = ∑ i ∑ j (I ij + D ij + C ij + N ij + F ij + P ij )

Using the calculus  No guidance on assigning exact numbers  Must anticipate every result of every act  “It is not to be expected that this process should be strictly pursued previously to every moral judgment…. It may, however, be always kept in view” (Bentham 1823, p. 31)

Incommensurability  “[T]he basic human goods are all equally and irreducibly basic; none of them is subordinated as mere means to any of the others….  “[T]he basic human goods are not abstract entities but aspects of the being of persons each of whom is distinct from and no mere means to the well-being of any other person.” (Finnis 1984, p. 89)

Questions?

References Bentham, J. (1823). An introduction to the principles of morals and legislation. 2 nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Finnis, J. (1984). Fundamentals of ethics. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press. Pickersgill, H. W. (n. d.) Jeremy Bentham, painting. Retrieved June 9, 2009 from Wikimedia Commons. m_by_Henry_William_Pickersgill_detail.jpg m_by_Henry_William_Pickersgill_detail.jpg m_by_Henry_William_Pickersgill_detail.jpg