School · 1748 CE–1873 CE
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is ethical and political theories that assess actions and institutions by their effects on welfare or happiness.
Shared questions
- How should aggregate welfare guide personal conduct, law, and political institutions?
Internal disagreements
- Whether welfare can be measured and aggregated, and whether rights, justice, character, or qualitative goods constrain utility.
Key texts
- An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation · 1789 — Bentham's statement of the principle of utility and the felicific calculus.
- Utilitarianism · 1861 — Mill's defence, which departs from Bentham by ranking pleasures by quality as well as quantity.
- The Subjection of Women · 1869 — Written with Harriet Taylor Mill's collaboration, which Mill acknowledged in general terms.