PLSC 118: The Moral Foundations of Politics
Lecture 05 - Classical Utilitarianism and Distributive Justice. Professor Shapiro continues his examination of Jeremy Bentham's formulation of classical utilitarianism, with a focus on the distributive implications of the theory of "maximizing the greatest happiness of the greatest number." He engages students in a discussion of a guiding principle of classical utilitarianism, the principle of diminishing marginal utility, and some traditional critiques of this principle. Professor Shapiro examines the capacity of classical utilitarianism as a radically redistributive doctrine. Bentham himself tried to avoid this consequence with his argument that the rich would burn their crops before giving them away, and he differentiated between "absolute" and "practical" equality. Professor Shapiro connects all of these concepts to Reagan's tax cuts of the 1980s, pre- and post-apartheid South Africa, and contemporary debates about economic stimulus. (from oyc.yale.edu)
| Lecture 05 - Classical Utilitarianism and Distributive Justice |
| Time | Lecture Chapters |
| [00:00:00] | 1. The Measurement of Utility |
| [00:05:57] | 2. Classical Utilitarianism, Distributive Justice and Diminishing Marginal Utility |
| [00:25:57] | 3. Diminishing Marginal Utility, Practical and Absolute Equality |
| [00:34:15] | 4. What about Rights? |
| References |
| Lecture 5 - Classical Utilitarianism and Distributive Justice Instructor: Professor Ian Shapiro. Resources: Notes: Bentham [PDF]. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov]. |
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