The happiness philosophers : the lives and works of the great utilitarians / Bart Schultz.

This book tells the colorful story of the lives and legacies of the founders of utilitarianism—one of the most influential yet misunderstood philosophies of the past two centuries. Best known for arguing that “it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong,” utilitarianism was developed by the radical philosophers, critics, and social reformers William Godwin, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Harriet Taylor Mill, and Henry Sidgwick. Together, they had a profound influence on nineteenth-century reforms. Their work transformed life in ways we take for granted today. Bentham even advocated the decriminalization of same-sex acts, decades before the cause was taken up by other activists. As Bertrand Russell wrote about Bentham in the late 1920s, “There can be no doubt that nine-tenths of the people living in England in the latter part of last century were happier than they would have been if he had never lived.” Yet in part because of its misleading name and the caricatures popularized by figures as varied as Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, and Michel Foucault, utilitarianism is sometimes still dismissed as cold, calculating, inhuman, and simplistic. By revealing the fascinating human sides of the remarkable pioneers of utilitarianism, this book provides a richer understanding and appreciation of their philosophical and political perspectives—one that also helps explain why utilitarianism is experiencing a renaissance today and is again being used to tackle some of the world's most serious problems. A colorful history of utilitarianism told through the lives and ideas of Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and its other founders In The Happiness Philosophers , Bart Schultz tells the colorful story of the lives and legacies of the founders of utilitarianism--one of the most influential yet misunderstood and maligned philosophies of the past two centuries. Best known for arguing that "it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong," utilitarianism was developed by the radical philosophers, critics, and social reformers William Godwin (the husband of Mary Wollstonecraft and father of Mary Shelley), Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart and Harriet Taylor Mill, and Henry Sidgwick. Together, they had a profound influence on nineteenth-century reforms, in areas ranging from law, politics, and economics to morals, education, and women's rights. Their work transformed life in ways we take for granted today. Bentham even advocated the decriminalization of same-sex acts, decades before the cause was taken up by other activists. As Bertrand Russell wrote about Bentham in the late 1920s, "There can be no doubt that nine-tenths of the people living in England in the latter part of last century were happier than they would have been if he had never lived." Yet in part because of its misleading name and the caricatures popularized by figures as varied as Dickens, Marx, and Foucault, utilitarianism is sometimes still dismissed as cold, calculating, inhuman, and simplistic. By revealing the fascinating human sides of the remarkable pioneers of utilitarianism, The Happiness Philosophers provides a richer understanding and appreciation of their philosophical and political perspectives--one that also helps explain why utilitarianism is experiencing a renaissance today and is again being used to tackle some of the world's most serious problems. Bart Schultz tells the colorful story of the lives and legacies of the founders of utilitarianism--one of the most influential yet misunderstood and maligned philosophies of the past two centuries. Best known for arguing that "it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong," utilitarianism was developed by the radical philosophers, critics, and social reformers William Godwin (the husband of Mary Wollstonecraft and father of Mary Shelley), Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart and Harriet Taylor Mill, and Henry Sidgwick. Together, they had a profound influence on nineteenth-century reforms, in areas ranging from law, politics, and economics to morals, education, and women's rights. Their work transformed life in ways we take for granted today. Bentham even advocated the decriminalization of same-sex acts, decades before the cause was taken up by other activists. Yet in part because of its misleading name and the caricatures popularized by figures as varied as Dickens, Marx, and Foucault, utilitarianism is sometimes still dismissed as cold, calculating, inhuman, and simplistic. By revealing the fascinating human sides of the remarkable pioneers of utilitarianism, Schultz provides a richer understanding and appreciation of their philosophical and political perspectives - one that also helps explain why utilitarianism is experiencing a renaissance today and is again being used to tackle some of the world's most serious problems. Read more... This ground-breaking 11-volume reference work, presented in A-Z format: * Comprises over 855 entries, ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 words in length, written by an international cast of subject experts * Is arranged across 9 fully cross-referenced volumes including a comprehensive index * Provides clear definitions and explanations of all areas of ethics including the topics, movements, arguments, and key figures in normative ethics, metaethics, and practical ethics * Covers the major philosophical, legal and religious traditions * Offers an unprecedented level of authority, accuracy and balance with all entries being blind peer-reviewed.--Provided by publisher Unmatched in scholarship and scope, The International Encyclopedia of Ethics is the definitive single-source reference work on Ethics for students, scholars and professionals, publishing online and in print February 2013. Work on the Encyclopedia has been shepherded by an Editor-in-Chief and two Associate Editors. Front Matter 1 Contents 7 Prologue 9 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction 15 Chapter One. The Adventures of William Godwin 23 Chapter Two. Jeremy Bentham’s Dream 67 Chapter Three. John Stuart Mill and Company 125 Chapter Four. Henry Sidgwick and Beyond 232 Epilogue 357 Notes 361 Index 417 A Note on the Type 453 Rédigée par une équipe de spécialistes, l'International Encyclopedia of Ethics contient des centaines d'articles revus anonymement par les pairs à propos de tous les secteurs de l'éthique et de ses principales écoles de pensée Prologue ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 1 The Adventures of William Godwin 9 2 Jeremy Bentham’s Dream 53 3 John Stuart Mill and Company 111 4 Henry Sidgwick and Beyond 218 Epilogue 343 Notes 347 Index 403