Day 15原文文本

【翻译划线部分】

Jeremy Bentham’s Utilitarianism

Jeremy Bentham(1748–1832) left no doubt where he stood on this question. He heaped scorn onthe idea of natural rights, calling them “nonsense upon stilts.” The philosophyhe launched has had an influential career. In fact, it exerts a powerful holdon the thinking of policy-makers, economists, business executives, and ordinarycitizens to this day.

Bentham,an English moral philosopher and legal reformer, founded the doctrine ofutilitarianism. Its main idea is simply stated and intuitively appealing: Thehighest principle of morality is to maximize happiness, the overall balance ofpleasure over pain. According to Bentham, the right thing to do is whateverwill maximize utility. By “utility,” he means whatever produces pleasure orhappiness, and whatever prevents pain or suffering. Bentham arrives at hisprinciple by the following line of reasoning: We are all governed by thefeelings of pain and pleasure. They are our “sovereign masters.” They govern usin everything we do and also determine what we ought to do. The standard ofright and wrong is “fastened to their throne.”

We all like pleasureand dislike pain. The utilitarian philosophy recognizes this fact, and makes itthe basis of moral and political life. Maximizing utility is a principle notonly for individuals but also for legislators. In deciding what laws orpolicies to enact, a government should do whatever will maximize the happinessof the community as a whole. What, after all, is a community? According toBentham, it is “a fictitious body,” composed of the sum of the individuals whocomprise it. Citizens and legislators should therefore ask themselves thisquestion: If we add up all of the benefits of this policy, and subtract all thecosts, will it produce more happiness than the alternative?