A history of English utilitarianism

Abstract

The evolution of English Utilitarianism represents a continuous logical progression from the seventeenth to the late nineteenth century, emerging as a characteristically British contribution to ethical theory. Richard Cumberland established the foundational principle of the common good as a response to Hobbesian egoism, grounding morality in natural laws that favor social harmony over atomistic self-interest. This framework was later refined by theological moralists, specifically John Gay and William Paley, who resolved the problem of obligation through divine sanctions and utilized associationist psychology to explain the transition from selfish impulse to altruistic behavior. Secularization advanced through David Hume, who identified utility as the objective criterion of moral approbation while maintaining the existence of original social sentiments. In the nineteenth century, the theory diverged into two distinct phases: the rigorous, quantitative application of hedonistic calculus to legal reform by Jeremy Bentham, and the later revision by John Stuart Mill, who introduced qualitative distinctions among pleasures to reconcile the doctrine with the concrete moral ideals of his time. The final stage of this development incorporates evolutionary biology via Herbert Spencer and the methodological synthesis of Henry Sidgwick. Sidgwick addresses the fundamental dualism of practical reason by seeking an intuitionist basis for utilitarian axioms. Ultimately, this historical development marks a transition from abstract individualism and egoistic motives to a comprehensive social ethics grounded in the requirements of social existence and the complexity of human character. – AI-generated abstract.