A Study On Bentham’s Theory Of Utilitarian Justice

The paper aims to study justice thought of Bentham’s utilitarianism. Since ancient times,the concept of justice has been an eternal theme of human beings. It is not only an important concept of philosophy and ethics, but also an important category of political science, law and society.The discussion of justice has never ceased from ancient Greece to modern times. The understanding and interpretation of justice of various schools in different historical periods is also very different.In the history of modern western thought, the utilitarian concept of justice always played an important role.Bentham, the founder of utilitarianism,did not directly prove the concept of Justice in his writings, but in fact there is a logical link between the utility and justice. The study attempts to find out the relation and interpret Bentham’s justice thought and its features.First, the paper discusses the origin of justice thought of Bentham’s utilitarianism. The same as all the formation and development of Western philosophy, Bentham’s justice thought of utilitarianism originates from Ancient Greece, in which Aristotle and Epicurus’ concept of Justice has a greatest effect on Bentham.In addition to ancient Greece period, modern Hobbes,David Hume and Adam Smith had proposed a utilitarian tendency of Justice.while Bentham’s utilitarianism and justice is inheritance and modifications of them. Then, the paper focuses on the specific contents of Bentham’s utilitarianism thought of Justice. The core of his thought is utility, that is justice. Also other thoughts develop with the core. The last important theme is the evaluation of Bentham’s utilitarianism, including its significance and theoretical defects.