第1927期：功利主义，穆勒与边沁

今天(May 7)是John Stuart Mill的deathday，提到这位哲学巨人，就不得不提他最著名的人文巨著“On Liberty”和他主张的哲学思想 Utilitarianism.

“Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.” – John Stuart Mill

Utilitarianism一般译作“功利主义”，用最简单的一句话概括就是——判断一个行为是否正确，唯一的标准是看这个行为能否达到效益最大化，所以这个哲学思想也叫“效益主义”。

Utilitarianism is all about making choices that create the most happiness for the most people.

The goal is to maximize overall happiness, even if it means some people might be unhappy.

现代功利主义的创始人是另一位英国哲学家Jeremy Bentham（边沁）, the founder of modern utilitarianism.

边沁认为最好的行动就是为大多数人创造最大幸福的行动，他称称之为“最大幸福原则”（the greatest happiness principle）。

“It is the greatest good to the greatest number which is the measure of right and wrong.” – Jeremy Bentham

为了说明哪些行动能创造最大的幸福，边沁提出了一套哲学系统，这就是Utilitarianism。

功利主义三大主旨：

The greatest happiness principle: The goal is to maximize overall happiness, even if it means some people might be unhappy.

Util: Happiness is the only thing that matters. Money, fame, or power are only good if they lead to happiness.

Impartiality: Everyone’s happiness counts equally, regardless of their age, race, or social status.

John Stuart Mill是继边沁之后最重要的Utilitarianism哲学家。

感兴趣的读者可参考副贴中的链接深入学习Utilitarianism和John Stuart Mill的思想。