Talking Politics: HISTORY OF IDEAS

Bentham on Pleasure

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Feb 9, 2021
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ANECDOTE

Bentham's Asperger's Influence

  • Jeremy Bentham probably had Asperger's syndrome, which influenced his obsessive systematizing and craving for clear language.
  • His eccentric behaviors, like naming his teapot and fear of masks, reflect difficulties with social cues.
INSIGHT

Bentham's Utilitarianism Misunderstood

  • Bentham's panopticon prison design aimed at efficiency but appears as a dystopian surveillance metaphor.
  • His utilitarianism, "greatest happiness of the greatest number," is often caricatured as cold calculation missing human variety.
INSIGHT

Bentham's Quest Behind Masks

  • Bentham's difficulty reading social masks fueled his relentless questioning of social conventions' purposes.
  • He demanded clear justification for why people behave as they do, challenging opaque norms.
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