Classical Utilitarianism from Hume to Mill: (Routledge Studies in Ethics and Moral Theory)

This book presents a new and controversial analysis of the idea of utility, its role in the foundation of morality, and its connection with justice and liberty, from Hume's Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals to J.S. Mill's On Liberty and Utilitarianism. The book is situated within the philosophical context of the earlier Epicurean tradition with its emphasis on pleasure, pain and utility on which the main figures discussed in this book - Hume, Smith, Helvetius, Bentham, Paley, and J.S. Mill - drew. The author defines a classical utilitarian tradition, which in turn is defended as a coherent context for understanding important arguments in moral and political philosophy concerned with justice, rights, liberty, individuality, equality, and democracy. Classical Utilitarianism from Hume to Mill utilizes a number of disciplines, such as moral and political philosophy, political and social theory, intellectual history, the history of philosophy, and the history of economic thought to present a unique study in two parts. Part I includes chapters on such topics as the major figures in the Scottish and French Enlightenments, Smith and Bentham on the entrepreneur, the religious utilitarianism of Paley, and Mill's critique of Carlyle and the defence of Bentham. Part II defends classical utilitarianism against a number of common contemporary criticisms concerned with the punishment of the innocent, the sacrifice of some for the happiness of others, democratic despotism or majority tyranny, and the impoverished state of negative liberty.

Table of Contents:
1. IntroductionPart I2. Utility and Justice: Epicurus and the Epicurean Tradition3. Reading Hume Backwards: Utility as the Foundation of Morals4. The Idea of Utility in Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments5. Helvetius, the Scottish Enlightenment, and Bentham's Idea of Utility6. The Idea of Utility in Smith's Wealth of Nations7. Bentham and Smith on Liberty8. William Paley as a Utilitarian9. Liberty, Utility, and the Reform of the Criminal Law10. J.S. Mill's Hedonism11. J.S. Mill on Justice and LibertyPart II12. Punishment of the Innocent13. Individual Sacrifice and the Greatest Happiness14. The Tyranny of the Majority15. Negative Liberty

About the Author :
Frederick Rosen is Professor of the History of Political Thought at University College London. He has served as General Editor of The Collected Works of Jeremy Bentham, Director of the Jeremy Bentham Project, and Director of the Centre for Politics, Law and Society at UCL. Among his books are Jeremy Bentham and Representative Democracy(1983) and Bentham, Byron and Greece: Constitutionalism, Nationalism, and Early Liberal Political Thought (1992). He has co-edited several books, was the founding editor of Utilitas, and has contributed numerous articles to various learned journals.

Review :
'Rosen offers a provocative thesis, particularly concerning Hume and Smith, which critics will certainly have to answer.' – Political Studies Review 'There is a lot of material in this book that anyone interested in utilitarianism would benefit from mulling over. It presents interesting perspectives on some traditional themes, and succeeds in clarifying ... a number of issues that I am sure will still be discussed in many years.' – Economics and Philosophy