JB/014/384/001

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1829. June K 1

Article on Utilitarianism

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27

54.
Greatest happiness —
of greatest number —
Error in this appendage
found out some years
ago: apparent clearness
& correctness
really the reverse.
Greatest happiness — of the greatest
number. Some years have now elapsed since,
upon a closer scrutiny, reason, altogether incontestable,
was found for discarding this appendage. On
the surface, additional cleanness and correctness
given to the idea: at bottom, the opposite qualities.
Be the community in question what it may, divide it
into two unequal parts, call one of them the majority,
the other the minority, lay out of the account the
feelings of the minority, include in the account no
feelings but those of the majority, the result you will
find is that of this operation, that to the aggregate
stock of happiness of the community, loss not profit is
the result of the operation. Of this proposition the truth
will be the more palpable, the greater the ratio of the
number of the minority to that of the majority: in
other words, the less the difference between the two
unequal parts: and suppose the condivident parts equal,
the quantity of the error will then be at it's maximum.

55
Suppose 4001 equally
happy; give to 2001, the
shares of remaining 2000.
Number of the majority, suppose, 2001:
number of the minority, 2000. Suppose in the first place
the stock of happiness in such sort divided that by
every one of the 4001, an equal portion of happiness
shall be possessed. Take now from every one of the
2,000 his share of happiness, and divide it any how
among the 2001: instead of augmentation, vast is the
diminution you will find to be the result. The
feelings of the minority being by the supposition laid
entirely out of the account, (for such in the enlarged form
is the import of the proposition,) — the vacuum thus
left may, instead of remaining a vacuum, be filled with
unhappiness, positive suffering, magnitude, intensity
and duration taken together, the greatest which it is
in the power of human nature to endure. Take

Identifier: | JB/014/384/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 14.
Date_1	1829-06	Marginal Summary Numbering	54-55
Box	014	Main Headings	deontology
Folio number	384	Info in main headings field	article on utilitarianism
Image	001	Titles
Category	copy/fair copy sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	e1 / f27
Penner	john flowerdew colls	Watermarks
Marginals	john flowerdew colls	Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public	[[notes_public::"copy" [note in bentham's hand]]]	ID Number	5147
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