INTERESTS, RIGHTS AND THE PUBLIC GOOD IN THE LATE ENLIGHTENMENT: CONDORCET VS. BENTHAM?

This article explores the notion of 'public happiness' in relation to rights and utility in the works of Condorcet and Bentham in the 1780s and early 1790s. It first makes a historical case for studying the two authors together. It then locates their positions on happiness in the wake of the writings of Helvetius, who provided an influential framework for the political and moral discussion of happiness in politics in the late Enlightenment. Finally, it examines their positions on a series of issues directly related to public happiness, rights and utility up until the end of 1791. The debate thus cannot be reduced to one which pits utility against rights or the well-being of the majority against that of the individual.