Utilitarianism and utopia: Bentham, Mill, and Huxley.

摘要

This paper applies the Utilitarianism, or the greatest happiness principle, espoused by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill to Aldous Huxley's utopian novels Island and Brave New World. Bentham and Mill's utilitarianism as a consequentialist ethical standard will be discussed, highlighting similarities and subtle differences. Utopian fiction is also discussed in broad terms before Huxley's utopian novels are analyzed through the lens of utilitarianism, with the result that both works demonstrate Utilitarianism. From a utilitarian standpoint, the central difference between Huxley's utopia and a dystopia are those qualities or values which the societies have deemed have the greatest utility. There is also discussion and justification for considering literary fiction as thought experiments whereby these works of pure imagination contribute to real world understanding.