Bentham on Utilitarianism: Understanding Choice

Vol-6 | No-01 | January-2021 | Published Online: 17 January 2021 PDF
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2021.v06.i01.058
Author(s)
Kusuma Krishna Subha 1

1Associate Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi

Abstract

Reading Bentham on Utilitarianism gives us a very pragmatic framework for understanding choice. Bentham emphasised choices made by human beings based on pain and pleasure principles. He had a quantitative take on the subject. Understanding choice in Bentham then perhaps, helps us comprehend to some extent the decision-making process of a liberal democracy. This article is an attempt to devolve into the Utilitarian philosophy as developed by Bentham to understand how choice is best captured in a liberal democracy.

Keywords
Bentham, Utilitarianism, Hedonistic Doctrine, State, Law
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