Benthamism

In scholarly circles, the Moral doctrine 'Utiliarianism' is usually associated with John Stuart Mill, but the Utilitarianism that is the more generally pervasive phenomenon may be that of the friend of Mill's father, Bentham. Bentham believed that the Highest Moral Good is the Greatest Happiness for the Greatest Number, and that the best means to that Good is everyone pursuing their own personal Happiness, so his Principle is 'Choose that act which best causes your own Happiness'. In contrast, Mill rejects the second of those beliefs, so his Principle is the more direct 'Choose that act which best causes the most Happiness for the most people. A simple example that bears out their differences is one in which person P has a choice between doing A, B, or C, in which A would benefit both P and another, Q; B would benefit P and have not effect on Q; and C would benefit P and harm Q. On Mill's evaluation, A is better than B, and B is better than C, but for Bentham, the effects on Q are irrelevant, so all three choices are of equal Moral Value. Now, while scrutiny bears up, for most analyists, the superiority of Mill's version, Bentham's codifies Adam Smith's Capitalism, and crystalizes the 'Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness' ethos of the U. S. Constitution, so his is the unofficial State Morality of the United States. But, Evolvemental Phronetics regards as especially inadequate both the Atomism and the Consequentialism of Benthamism: Atomism abstracts from the gregarious nature of the Individual, and Consequentialism places no value on the very performance of an Action. Hence, for example, the indifference to the drudgery of others that is codified in a Benthamist society, is a failure to promote Evolvement as much as possible, and, hence, is Phronetically unworthy.