THE BOUNDS OF BENTHAM’S ETHICS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1517-0128.v1i20p6-21Keywords:
Bentham – ethics – legislation – morality – utilitarianism.Abstract
The aim of this article is to understand the bounds or the importance of ethics in Jeremy Bentham’s theoretical conception. To identify the place of ethics in his writings, it was necessary to establish the limits between ethics and legislation, because to some cases, when the general tendency of the act is bad, formal punishment becomes disadvantageous yielding place to the rules of ethics, trough the moral sanction.
In other words, it will be possible to comprehend that studying the place of ethics in Bentham’s theoretical system requires that the limits between ethics and legislation be established. It is thesis of this work that the principle of utility sets the boundaries between pleasure and pain or coast and benefit to decide about the necessity of establishing rules to punish the agents. The application of punishment to certain transgressions tends to generate social costs more elevated than the created benefit. Therefore, the legislation shall not be applied to some kinds of transgressions, but only the rules of ethics.
Downloads
References
ARISTÓTELES. Ética a Nicômaco. São Paulo: Abril Cultural, 1974.
BENDIT, M. T. “The Public Interest”. Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 2, n. 3, pp. 291-311, Spring, 1973.
BENN, Alfred W. “The History of English Rationalism”. In: The Nineteenth Century. Vol I. Londres: Longmans, Greeen, And Co., 1906.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. A Fragment on Government. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. A Table of the Springs of Action. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. An Introduction to the Principles of Moral and Legislation. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Anarchical Fallacies. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. “Bentham’s Theory of Fictions”. In: Ck Ogdeon. Londres: Routledge, 2000.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Constitutional Code. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Defence of Usury. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Déontologie, ou Science de la morale, 1834. Disponível em: http://classiques.uqac.ca/classiques/bentham_jeremy/deontologie_tome_1/deontologie_t1.html.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Essay on Language. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Essay on Logic. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. On the Liberty of the Press, and Public Discussion. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Plan of Parliamentary Reform Bill. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Principles of Civil Code. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Principles of Penal Law. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Principles of the Civil Law. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. The Books of fallacies, From Unfinished Papers. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. The Promulgation of Laws. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. The Rationale of Reward. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Tracts on Poor Laws and Pauper Management. Edinburgh: William Tait, 1843.
BENTHAM, Jeremy. Uma Introdução aos Princípios da Moral e da Legislação. São Paulo: Abril Cultural, 1974.
BHIKHU, Parekh. “Bentham on Private Ethics and the Principle of Utility”, in Critical Assessments. Londres: Routledge, 1993.
BROOME, John. “Utility”. In: Economics and Philosophy, Cambridge, n. 7, p. 1-12, 1991.
BURNE, P. “Bentham and The Utilitarian Principle”. In: Mind, Oxford, New Series, Vol. 58, n. 231, pp. 367-368, 1949.
CHIAPPIN, José R. N. “Racionalidade, Decisão, Solução de Problemas e o Programa de Pesquisa Racionalista”. In: Ciência e Filosofia, São Paulo, n. 5, pp. 155-219, 1996.
CHIAPPIN, José R. N. “Racionalidade, Decisão e Solução de Problemas e a Reconstrução Racional do Programa de Pesquisa sobre o Racionalismo Clássico”, in Manuscritos. São Paulo: 2000.
DAVES, Axel. “Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)”: The Utilitarian Foundations of Collectivism. Libertarian Heritage, Londres, n.15, 1995.
DRAPNE, Tony. “An Introduction to Jeremy’s Bentham Theory of Punishment”. Journal of Bentham Studies, Londres, n. 5, 2002.
GOLDWORTH, Amnon. “Bentham’s Concept of Pleasure: Its Relation to Fictitious Terms”. Ethics, Chicago, Vol. 82, n. 4, pp. 334-343, jul, 1972.
HART, H. L. A. Essays on Bentham: Studies in Jurisprudence and Political Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982.
HARWORTH, Lawrence. “Autonomy and Utility”. Ethics, Chicago, Vol. 95, n. 1, p. 5-19, Oct., 1984.
HENRY, Hazlitt. “Pleasure as the End”. In: The Foundations of Morality. Chicago: Chicago Press, 1964.
HOOGENSEN, Gunhild. “Bentham’s International Manuscripts Versus The Published ‘Works’”. Journal of Bentham Studies, Londres, n. 2, 2001.
MCNAUGHTON, Robert. “A Metrical Concept of Happiness”. In: Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Providence, Vol. 14, n. 2, pp. 172-183, Dec. 1953.
MILL, John Stuart. “Bentham”. In: Collected works of John Stuart Mill. Vol. X. Toronto: Toronto University Press, 1985.
MILL, John Stuart. “Utilitarianism”. In: Collected works of John Stuart Mill. Vol. X. Toronto: Toronto University Press, 1985.
MILO D. R. “Bentham’s Principles”. Ethics, Chicago, Vol. 84. n. 2, pp. 128-139, Jan. 1974.
MONGIN, P. & SIGOT, N. “Halévy’s Bentham is Bentham”. Philosophy, Cambridge, 74, 1999.
SIDGWICK, Henry. “Bentham and Benthamism in Politics and Ethics”. The Fortnightly Review, Melbourne, 21, pp. 627-652, January – June 1877.
SINGER, Marcus. “Actual Consequences of Utilitarianism”. Mind, Oxford, Vol. 86, n. 341, pp. 67-77, Jan. 1977.
WARKE, Tom. “A Reconstruction of Classical Utilitarianism”. Journal of Bentham Studies, Londres, n° 3, 2000.
PEASE-WATIKIN. “Jeremy and Samuel Bentham”. In: The Private and the Public. Journal of Bentham Studies, Londres, n° 5, 2002.
WILSON, Thomas. Sympathy and Self-interest. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1976.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2012 Maria Cristina Longo Cardoso Dias
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
