A Study Of Happiness In The Classical Utilitarianism

As early as in the ancient Greek period,hedonism,the predecessor of utilitarian thought,appeared.The dominance of religion and the old aristocracy gradually weakened in the seventeenth century Enlightenment,while the bourgeoisie accumulated capital through Industrial Revolution and entered the stage of history with ascending social status.The British classical utilitarianism provides theoretical foundation for the bourgeoisie’s longing for the free trade as the classical utilitarianism founded by Bentham gained a firm foothold and became the mainstream theory serving capitalism.It is based on the theory of people never desiring anything but happiness,accentuating “the greatest happiness of the greatest number” principle.Mill was deeply influenced by Bentham’s thought,inheriting and carrying forward Bentham’s classical utilitarian thought.On the basis of Bentham’s quantity of happiness,Mill put forward the theory of quality of happiness,emphasizing the importance of happiness on the inner spiritual level.Mill’s theory not only enriches the utilitarian idea of happiness,but also gives systematic consideration to both individual and communal happiness.Classical utilitarianism believes that the desire for happiness is the sole and fundamental purpose and the ultimate goal of all human behavior.Therefore,the discussion of “happiness” constitutes the core content of classical utilitarianism.By extracting the essence and connotation of classical utilitarian philosophical thought to summarize it and sorting out its influence on Western society,it can better serve contemporary society.Although the ethical system of classical utilitarianism has many deficiencies in argumentation and logic,it does not affect its merits in terms of practical and theoretical contributions.With the development of social productivity,China’s per capita GDP continues to rise,and people’s living standards have improved significantly,while relevant social issues have also appeared.Although material conditions are aboundi ng,it has not brought an equivalent increase in the happiness index as the sense of moral responsibility is still lacking.This article attempts to take the classical utilitarian concept of happiness as a common thread,through the investigation of its hi storical conditions and theoretical origins,to clarify the basis for the emergence of utilitarian thinking;by connecting the development of the classical utilitarian concept of happiness,it seeks to unearth the unique connotation of Bentham and Mill’s thoughts on happiness.Through probing the rationality and limitation of the utilitarian concept of happiness,combining analyzing the practical activities in modern society,the article aims at helping people form a positive concept of happiness,to find t he balance between the pursuit of personal happiness and collective happiness and to enhance the sense of moral responsibility,expecting the classical utilitarian concept of happiness could shed light on our current moral practice activities.