THE PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY

The text I’m going to analysis is an extract taken from An introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation written by Bentham in 1780.

Starting from the title the reader can understand the writer uses the latin form.

The main theme of the text is the utilitarianism: it is a political, economic and social doctrine which was spread at the beginning of the 19th century among the industrial middle class whose interests it suited.

The utilitarianism is based on the opposition of pain and pleasure that determinate what we shall do or we shall not do. The consequence of the two factors is the result of our action which can be right or wrong. The utility can determine the benefits, advantages, pleasures, goods and happiness of the object that are posed under it.

Utilitarianism regards the community and it is based on the fact that a thing promotes the interests when it tends to add to the sum total of his pleasure or to diminish the sum total of his pains. The utilitarianism is conformable when it augments the happiness of the community is higher than its decrease.

The utilitarianism has an influence in the policy when it arguments the happiness of the community is greater than any which it has to diminish it.