The Encyclopedia of Utilitarianism: Theorists, Critics, Theories, Ideas, and Issues

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The Encyclopedia of Utilitarianism: Theorists, Critics, Theories, Ideas, and Issues James E. Crimmins Professor of Political Theory Editor, Encyclopedia of Utilitarianism Huron University College The University of Western Ontario 1349 Western Road London, Ontario N6G 1H3 Canada When Bentham coined the term “utilitarian” in 1781 he imagined it as a doctrinal focal point for adherents committed to its fundamental constructs, and who were dedicated to the translation of its ideas into practice. The “sect of the utilitarians” of which Bentham dreamed had not yet formed, but by this point he had established, at least in his own mind, utility as the core principle of the union of theory with practice—or “praxis”, as he was later to call it. Recognising that precursors to Bentham’s secular model of the theory would have to be included in any sound history of the utilitarian tradition, ever since that time the credibility of utilitarian theory has rested on its viability as a platform for solutions to the myriad questions and issues that define private and public ethics, jurisprudence, political economy, and so on, and all their various sub-fields. The vibrancy of utilitarian studies today demonstrably falsifies Bernard Williams’ prediction in 1973 that “the day cannot be too far off in which we hear no more of it” (Williams and J.J.C. Smart, Utilitarianism: For and Against, Cambridge, 1973, p.150). In this respect, the Encyclopedia of Utilitarianism, scheduled for publication in 2013, provides ample evidence of the capacity of the theory to generate new ideas and approaches, and to ferment debate across an exceedingly broad intellectual spectrum, embracing the history of ideas, moral, legal, analytic and political philosophy, psychology, education, and economics. The statistically inclined might attempt to quantify the level of interest in these domains and across periods of time. But, for those more inclined to visual depiction, we might imagine the utilitarian tradition as an ancient but still living tree, with deep roots in antiquity, which came together and cross-fertilized with other ideational traditions drawn from natural philosophy, the new science, and humanism to form a solid trunk in the eighteenth century, from which, over the following two hundred years, other sturdy branches have sprouted with its own numerous off-shoots. From time to time, the organism has been buffeted by the contending winds of competing theories, and there have been occasional fruitless attempts to take an axe to the entire extraordinary structure. But still it flourishes, continuing to grow and branch out. The purpose of this paper is to survey the entity “utilitarianism” as it is represented in the Encyclopedia of Utilitarianism and provide a selection of insights into its development and into the marvels of theory and practice it continues to nourish. .

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