Utilitarianism

Imagine a world where the worth of every law, every custom, and every punishment is weighed, not by tradition, but by how much happiness or suffering it creates. What if morality itself could be measured, calculated, even audited like a merchant’s ledger?In eighteenth-century Britain, this was not just a fantasy—it was the ground for a revolution in ethics. Britain pulsed with counting: merchant cargoes, parliamentary votes, and the balance sheets of the Treasury. Into this climate stepped Jeremy Bentham, born in seventeen forty-eight, who looked at old institutions and saw not venerable wisdom but needless complexity and cruelty. For Bentham, the question wasn’t abstract; it was blunt and urgent: How can we make our laws and institutions answer to real suffering?Aurelius and Malik take on this case in full — 5 chapters, 36 minutes, one complete story.Learn more at: https://thephilosophyarchive.com/philosophy/utilitarianismThe Philosophy Archive Dialogues is part of The Archive Network by Jonkai Ventures. In every episode, curators Aurelius and Malik take one thinker or idea and work through it together — one building the argument, the other pressing on where it strains.The Archive Network is an independent, solo-run project. Everything is free, with no ads and no paywalls. Support doesn't unlock anything; it simply keeps the work going:https://thearchivenetwork.com/supportExplore this archive:https://thephilosophyarchive.comDiscover more archives and stories:https://thearchivenetwork.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.