In 1789, Jeremy Bentham founded Utilitarianism, a theory of ethics that focused on quantifying benefits and harms. His ideas were influential in the development of modern utilitarianism and consequentialism. According to him, every action should be judged by its utility, which he defined as the expected benefit minus any expected harm. While the term “utility” had previously been used in economics to describe something like value, in Bentham’s view it referred to both subjective experience and objective fact.
For Bentham, the government should not be concerned with enforcing general rules, but instead should ensure that each individual receives what they need to maximize their own well-being. In this sense, Bentham’s utilitarianism differs significantly from other ethical theories, in that it does not require either absolute moral principles or divine authority. According to Bentham, the primary role of government was to protect individuals from each other and to promote justice.
Bentham’s ideas were the inspiration for many 19th-century thinkers. His utilitarianism was used to justify many social reforms, including the abolition of slavery. Later, he became famous for his ideas which also helped inspire early socialists like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and laid the substratum for the British socialist movement.
