| 释义 |
utilitarianism
The approach to morality that regards pleasure or the satisfaction of desire as the exclusive element in human good, and treats the morality of acts and rules as wholly dependent on the consequences for human welfare. Its premise is the proposition that the fundamental objective of morality and justice is that happiness should be maximized. Thus the leading Utilitarian Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) devised a “felicific calculus” by which we might test the “happiness factor” of any action. A distinction is drawn between two forms of utilitarianism: act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. The former adopts the position that the rightness or wrongness of an action is to be judged by the consequences, good or bad, of the action itself. The latter argues that the rightness or wrongness of an action is to be judged by the goodness or badness of the consequences of a rule that everyone should perform the action in like circumstances. Since the early 19th century utilitarian thought has had a major influence on thinking about punishment and other aspects of penal policy (see punishment). See also classical school of criminology; economic analysis of law; legal positivism. |