Theory of Utility

... Theory of Utility "Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do."1 Jeremy Bentham uses the Principle of Utility to provide a foundation for his system of moral philosophy. The utilitarian theory proposed by Bentham seeks to establish that human behavior can be said to be motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. While this consequentialist theory appears to be akin to common sense, when scrutinized carefully the framework of utilitarianism begins to breakdown and succumbs to the challenges put forth by subjectivity. Furthermore, when applied to the criminal justice system as a theory of state punishment it neglects a core element of human nature, retribution based on desert. However, after recognizing the crevices of Bentham's utilitarian system, one thing

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