THE PLEASURE AND PAIN IN ACCORDING TO JEREMY BENTHAM : AN ANALYTICAL STUDY

Abstract

This dissertation entitled ‘An Analytical Study of The Concept of Pleasure And Pain As The Foundation According To Jeremy Bentham Ethics’ has three objectives: 1) to study the concept of pleasure and pain in Jeremy Bentham’s ethics, 2) to study the concept of pleasure and pain in Theravada Buddhist philosophy, and 3) to critically analyze the concept of Jeremy Bentham’s pleasure and pain as moral foundation in the viewpoint of Theravada Buddhist philosophy. This is a documentary research.

            According to Jeremy Bentham’s viewpoint, while the happiness or pleasure arise through body and mind  and becomes  the chief base of action motivating man to act in order to gain the best things, pain or unsatisfactoriness becomes the chief cause motivating man to avoid such suffering. Based on the mentioned reasons, according to Jeremy Bentham’s view, the criterion in judging what is right is pleasure; the action leading to happiness is counted as the best action and the criterion in judging what is wrong  is pain; the action giving rise to suffering is counted as the worse action one should avoid.

            In Buddhism, it is believed that pleasure or happy feeling is bodily and mentally satisfied and pain or suffering is conditionally caused and brought about physical and mental stress. According to Buddhist philosophy, pleasure held as a moral base basically refers to non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion; it is so because it is derived from wholesome root of action giving rise to bodily, verbal and mental behavior in a good manner. As regards the pain as an immoral base, it refers to greed, hatred and delusion because this type of suffering is derived from unwholesome root of action giving rise to bodily, verbal and mental behavior in improper manner.

          In the critical study, it was found that Theravada Buddhist philosophy is clearly opposed to Jeremy Bentham’s viewpoint that pleasure derived from bodily and mental satisfactoriness becomes the moral base by reasoning that happiness served as a moral base should be basically derived from the state of mind where wholesome root action, non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion is present because such pleasure claimed by Jeremy Bentham is uncertain; each one possesses their own satisfactoriness. And, furthermore, Theravada Buddhist philosophy argues against Jeremy Bentham’s position concerning such pain that one should avoid suffering that causes unsatisfactoriness. In this matter, according to Buddhism, suffering by nature derived from unwholesome root action, greed, hatred and delusion needs to be avoided and it cannot be used as the moral base because such unwholesome root of action can cause hefty of suffering. Viewed from this angle, it can be reasoned that Jeremy Bentham lays great emphasis on pleasure that is basically derived from one’s satisfactoriness and he also lays chief emphasis on pain causing bodily and mental unsatisfactoriness served as the moral base. As far as moral base is concerned, Theravada Buddhist philosophy has supported the moral base gained through bodily and mental pleasure but objected to bodily and mental suffering as the moral base. In order to solve this problem, Theravada Buddhist philosophy has recommended one to take great pains in getting rid of unwholesome root of action giving rise to bodily and mental suffering. Viewed from the mentioned discussion, it can be claimed that the concept of pleasure and pain in Buddhism served as the moral base according to Jeremy Bentham’s viewpoint becomes clearly different.