ABSTRACT
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory whose central idea is “the greatest good for the greatest number.” The idea is that an ethically correct action is one that promotes the greatest happiness for the individuals affected by it. Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill were deeply involved in the political controversies of their age. Both defended utilitarianism in publications that the educated classes in England read with great attention. Socrates was acutely aware of the imperfections of the world around him; it isn’t true that each of his daily experiences filled him with pleasure. Higher pleasures derive from exercising higher mental abilities; lower pleasures come from using mental abilities that are lower. Utilitarian discussion of punishment usually focuses on the question of why the guilty should be punished. But, as the case of the lonesome stranger illustrates, the question can also be posed of why the innocent should not be punished.
