16.

Write a note on
classification evils.
Classification of evils
Demonic Evil
Demonic evil is evil for its
own sake, performed for
the express purpose of
harming others, or for the
enjoyment of the
experience of watching
others
suffer. A serial killer who
slowly tortures his victims
would seem to be an
example of this.
• Instrumental Evil
16.Write a note on
classification evils.
Classification of evils
Demonic Evil
Demonic evil is evil for its
own sake, performed for
the express purpose of
harming others, or for the
enjoyment of the
experience of watching
others
suffer. A serial killer who
slowly tortures his victims
would seem to be an
example of this.
• Instrumental Evil
16.Write a note on
classification evils.
Classification of evils
Demonic Evil
Demonic evil is evil for its
own sake, performed for
the express purpose of
harming others, or for the
enjoyment of the
experience of watching
others
suffer. A serial killer who
slowly tortures his victims
would seem to be an
example of this.
IOS
UNIT 5

Q. Explain the principles of utility as advocated by Sir Jeremy Bentham.

Principle of Utility
 Jeremy Bentham – “The Theory of Legislation” and “Introduction to the Principles of
Morals and Legislation”.
 All ideas, judgements, and determinations rise from certain motives – pleasure and
pain.
 Utility – expresses some tendency to do good or prevent pain/evil.
 Anything that follows the principle of utility brings happiness – maximum happiness
to the maximum number of people.
 Virtue is good as it brings pleasure, while vices are bad as it brings pain.
 Therefore, the goal is moral good as versus moral evil.
 Objections to the principle –
o The concept of moral good and bad is subjective, dependant on every
individual, and therefore would be difficult to calculate as a whole.
o There are difficulties in defining the terms of good, evil, pain, pleasure, and
morals.
o The word “virtue” is used to define “utility”, but it is also possible that
something that has virtue may not have utility.
 o Some objections are founded on a religious principle, contending that it is God
or the Universe that must decide good and evil, not man.
o The aim of good morals is not necessarily the aim of politics.
o What is useful or has utility may not be just or important.
o An individual may commit a breach for their own advantage or happiness,
which goes against the concept of justice.
 Bentham has pointed out that all these objections can be easily fixed with proper
usage of the principle, with ensuring no extremes, and with careful calculation of the
measure of pain and pleasure.
 Operation on Legislation –
o Although it has not been developed in a way as to directly use it in legislation,
it has influenced the laws.
o Legislators must enact legislations with the object of increasing the total sum
of the happiness of the individuals of the community or society.
o The public good should be the object of the legislature.

Q. Explain ascetic principle.

Ascetic Principle
 Ascetic means “one who exercise” – refers to monks to practice penance and
devotions.
 It is the opposite of the principle of utility, and is generally followed by philosophers
and devotees.
 Here, the objective is to reduce pleasure and to suffer pain, which will bring happiness
to them in the next life.
o There is a delayed gratification.
 Everything that gives pleasure in the current world is criminal and bad, because it will
lead people astray and make them commit bad acts.
 Bentham claims that this is a mistake. They have attacked pleasure itself and
prohibited it. He says that the people who follow this are foolish.
 Operation on Legislation –
o Though embraced by certain people in their private conduct, it has never had
much influence on the operations of the governments,
o This principle cannot be used by Governments, because their objective is to
ensure their strength and prosperity in this world.

Q. Explain sympathy and antipathy.

Q. Arbitrary principle.

Arbitrary Principle or the Principles of Sympathy and Antipathy

 Certain actions are approved or disproved, without giving any reason for the decision,
on the basis of the decision itself.
 An action is considered good or bad according to the whims of the individual, and
how they believe it affects them.
 There is no reasoning or logic, just the feelings and opinions of the one who makes
the decision.
 Therefore, the consideration of others or of the consequences of the decision are not
taken into account.
 The object here is to make a person’s opinion the truth, regardless of reason or
anything else.
 Since this is so arbitrary, if allowed, it will lead to chaos and anarchy in the society.
 However, this principle, in some way, coincides with the principle of utility.
o The difference is that through the principle of utility, the sum total of
individual good is taken into consideration and acted upon.
 Since antipathy has considerable influence on morals and legislation, he laid out some
factors that gives rise to it –
o Repugnance of sense –
 Something which the senses of an individual do not agree to accept –
which fills someone with a feeling of disgust or hatred.
o Wounded pride –
 When a person shows disregard or contempt without directly refusing
the opinion of another, or when a person does not adopt another’s
opinion, that offends the other person.
o Power controlled –
 When one finds that there is a limit to that power – leads to secret pain
and discontent in a person.
o Confidence in the future weakened or destroyed –
 A person may do something that causes another to doubt their actions
or reliability, and diminishes confidence it them.
o The desire of unanimity –
 When many people have the same opinion, it gives one pleasure in that
opinion.
o Envy –
 When certain advantages are given to others, others become envious,
leading to reduction in their pleasure.
 Operation on Legislation –
o This has exercised considerable influence on governments.
o Examples –
 A government with wealth and commerce sees society as a workshop
and men as productive machines. Therefore, it does not care about
their torment and is indifferent towards evil as long as results are
produced.
  A government which has power and glory is more interested in wars,
conquests, and new acquisitions, without caring for the harm done to
people.
 A government which sympathises with its people, cares for them, and
protects their property and person, is concerned with their happiness
and well-being.

Q. What are the different kinds of pleasure and pain?

Pleasure and Pain

 Good is pleasure, or the cause of pleasure.
 Evil is pain, or the cause of pain.
 Bentham, through analysis, has divided pain and pleasure into the categories of –
o Simple pleasures, and
o Simple pains.

Simple Pleasures

 Pleasures of sense –
o Which can be physically sensed through the senses of – taste, smell, sight,
hearing, and touch.
o Can also include the pleasures of health and novelty.
 Pleasures of riches –
o Derived from material possessions, and is maximum at the moment of
acquiring it.
 Pleasures of address –
o Derived from attaining perfection in performing/doing something – such as
composing music.
 Pleasures of friendship –
o Derived from the development of good will and relationships between people,
where they can expect services from them.
 Pleasures of good reputation –
o Derived from the esteem and good will of all people in general.
 Pleasures of power –
o Which makes other follow a person, either through hope or fear.
 Pleasures of piety –
o Of acquiring or possessing the favour of God.
 Pleasures of benevolence –
o Also called pleasures of sympathy or of social affections.
o Derived from the happiness of things and people that we love and love us.
  Pleasures of malevolence –
o Also called pleasures of antipathy or of anti-social affections.
o Derived from the pain of those we do not love or do not love us.
 Pleasures of knowledge –
o Derived from the joy of finding solutions of problems.
 Pleasures of memory –
o Derived from our recollections and memories.
 Pleasures of imagination –
o Derived from our imagination and creativity – new ideas and discoveries.
 Pleasures of hope –
o Derived from the expective of current or future pleasure.
 Pleasures of association –
o Derived indirectly from something that is connected to an object that gives
pleasure.
 Pleasures of pain –
o Also called pleasure of relief or deliverance.
o Derived when there is a reduction or cessation of the pain itself.

Simple Pains

 Pains of privation –
o Pain of desire – of obtaining something
o Pain of disappointment – failure of hope
o Pain of regret – of losing something good
 Pains of senses –
o Hunger and thirst, taste, smell, touch, hearing, sight, excess of cold or heat,
diseases, fatigue of mind or body.
 Pains of mal-addresses –
o Resulting from fruitless, laborious efforts.
 Pains of enmity –
o Resulting from feeling that one is an object of dislike or malevolence of
others.
 Pains of bad reputation –
o Also called pains of dishonour.
o When one id an object of malevolence or contempt of the world.
 Pains of piety –
o Fear of offending God.
o Religious or superstitious fears.
 Pains of malevolence –
o Derived from the happiness of those we hate.
 Pains of memory –
 o Derived from our painful recollections and memories.
 Pains of imagination –
o Derived from our imagination.
 Pains of fear –
o Fear or loss of pleasure.

Classes of Pain and Pleasure (same as Sanctions)

 Physical/Natural –
o Expected in the ordinary course of nature, without human intervention.
 Moral –
o Expected from the actions of other people.
o Popular, public opinion, honour, sympathy sanctions.
 Political –
o Expected from the actions made in virtue of the laws.
o Legal sanction.
 Religious –
o Expected in virtue of the threats or promises of religion.

Measures of Pain and Pleasure

 For measuring value in individuals –

o Intensity – how much
o Duration – how long it lasts
o Certainty – whether it will be certain or uncertain
o Proximity – how close it is to an individual
 For measuring tendency of an act to give pain or pleasure –
o Productiveness – if it is likely to be followed by other similar pleasure/pain
o Purity – if the pleasure is not likely to produce pain or vice versa
 For calculation in relation to a collection of people –
o Extent – the number of people likely to be affected by the pleasure/pain

Q. Classification of evils.
Q. Write a note on classification evils.

Classification of Evils
 According to Bentham, every law is an evil because every law, in some way, is an
infraction of liberty – the government has the choice of evils.
 All types of evils overlap and are derived from each other, but they can be
distinguished.
 Classification –
o Evil of the first order
 Primitive evil
 Immediate evil
 Derivative evil
o Evil of the second order
 Alarm
 Danger
 Extended evil
 Divided evil
 Consequential evil
 Permanent evil
 Evanescent evil
o Evil of the third order
 Evil of the first order –
o An evil resulting from a bad action, which falls immediately upon such
assignable individuals.
o Primitive evil –
 It is particular to the individual first injured or the first sufferer – the
one who is immediately and directly affected.
o Immediate evil –
 The evil has immediate effect.
o Derivative evil –
 It falls upon assignable individuals, due to some relation between them
and the first sufferer – either through personal interest or sympathy.
 Evil of the second order –
o Which originates in the first order, and then spreads through the community or
an indefinite number of non-assignable individuals.
o Alarm –
 A positive pain – the pain of apprehension (of suffering the same evil
that is seen to affect another).
o Danger –
 The possibility that the primitive evil will produce other evils of the
same kind.
 Generally, alarm and danger go together, as effects of the same cause.
o Extended evil –
 The evil is of such a nature that it can spread.
 It increases in proportion to the number of people affected.
o Divided evil –
 When the loss suffered is not just to the individual, but to the society or
the state.
  It decreases in proportion to the number of people that share it.
o Consequential evil –
 There is another addition evil suffered, due to the first evil, but distinct
from it.
o Permanent evil –
 Once done, it cannot be remedied. It is irreparable.
o Evanescent evil –
 It can be healed or passed away or remedied completely.
 Evil of the third order –
o When the alarm reaches a certain point and lasts a long time, then the effect
extends beyond the passive powers of people and effects them actively.
o It causes inactivity, lethargy, discouragement, and weakness.
o It leads to idleness and loss of hope.
 Fortunately, good can also be categories into the first, second, and third order, the
same way evil has been classified.
 Other Classification of evils (by Lars Svendson)
o Demonic evil
 Evil for its own sake, performed for the express purpose of harming
others, or for the enjoyment of the experience of watching others
suffer. A serial killer who slowly tortures his victims would seem to be
an example of this.
o Instrumental evil
 Evil that occurs in order to carry out some other purpose. An example
might be the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the hazardous by-
product of an aggressive business venture, and of our civilization’s
collective need for fuel.
o Idealistic evil
 Evil that is “justified” by some greater cause. It’s not hard to find big
examples here. Adolf Hitler, Chairman Mao and Osama bin Laden
were all motivated by what they considered to be lofty ideals.
o Stupid evil
 Stupid evil is evil that occurs based on human incompetence, despite
the fact that nobody wished it. A plane crash due to an easily avoidable
pilot error would be an example of stupid evil.

o Instrumental Evil
o Instrumental evil is evil that occurs in order to carry out some other
purpose.
An example might be the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the hazardous by-
product of an aggressive business venture, and of our civilization’s collective
need for fuel.
• Idealistic Evil
Idealistic evil is evil that is “justified” by some greater cause. It’s not hard to
find big examples here. Adolf Hitler, Chairman Mao and Osama bin Laden were
all motivated by what they considered to be lofty ideals.
• Stupid Evil
Stupid evil is evil that occurs based on human incompetence, despite the fact
that nobody wished it. A plane crash due to an easily avoidable pilot error
would be an example of stupid evil.
So far so good. I feel optimistic about Lars Svendsen’s venture at this point,
and am intrigued to find that this breakdown provides much of the structure
for the entire book. But Svendsen then surprises me by delving into the first
kind of evil on the list, demonic evil, and declaring that it may not exist at all.
Everything must be done for a reason Svendsen says, and therefore everything
a person does, even when perceived as evil, must somehow satisfy that
person’s notion of good. Therefore, the person does not commit evil for evil’s
sake, but rather for good.
Instrumental evil is evil that occurs in order to carry out some other purpose.
An example might be the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the hazardous by-
product of an aggressive business venture, and of our civilization’s collective
need for fuel.
• Idealistic Evil
Idealistic evil is evil that is “justified” by some greater cause. It’s not hard to
find big examples here. Adolf Hitler, Chairman Mao and Osama bin Laden were
all motivated by what they considered to be lofty ideals.
• Stupid Evil
Stupid evil is evil that occurs based on human incompetence, despite the fact
that nobody wished it. A plane crash due to an easily avoidable pilot error
would be an example of stupid evil.
So far so good. I feel optimistic about Lars Svendsen’s venture at this point,
and am intrigued to find that this breakdown provides much of the structure
for the entire book. But Svendsen then surprises me by delving into the first
kind of evil on the list, demonic evil, and declaring that it may not exist at all.
Everything must be done for a reason Svendsen says, and therefore everything
a person does, even when perceived as evil, must somehow satisfy that
person’s notion of good. Therefore, the person does not commit evil for evil’s
sake, but rather for good.
Principles of Sensibility
 All causes of pain/pleasure will not produce the same kind of pain/pleasure to
everyone.
 The difference lies in the sensibility of each individual – in the kind and the degree.
 There are 15 primary circumstances that influence the sensibility of individuals –
o Temperament – the basic disposition of a person, depending on their physical
and mental nature
o Health – whether sick or not
o Strength – physically and mentally
o Corporal imperfection – bodily deformity
o Degree of knowledge – number of ideas which a man can possess
o Intellectual faculties – memory capacity, attention, clearness of mind,
imagination, etc
 o Firmness of mind – whether they are affected by immediate, distant, or
uncertain pleasure/pain
o Perseverance – length of time during which a given motive acts on a will with
continuous force
o Bent of inclination – mental attitude towards a thing
o Notion of honour
o Notion of religion
o Sentiments of sympathy
o Sentiments of antipathy
o Folly/disorder of mind – ignorance, feebleness, irritability, and inconsistency
o Pecuniary circumstances – assessed by considering the sum of the means
and the sum of the wants
 Secondary circumstances –
o Sex – the sensibility of women is greater than that of men
o Age – sensibility varies from infancy to old age
o Rank – rank may affect sensibility
o Education – physical, intellectual, and moral education
o Habitual occupation – whether of profit, amusement, choice, or other
influence
o Climate
o Race
o Government – most important among all secondary circumstance
o Religious profession/background
 Practical application –
o To ascertain the evil of an offence
o To give proper satisfaction to the injured
o To estimate the force of punishments
o To transplant a law from one country to another

Q. Explain the distinction between morals and legislation.

Q. Moral principles.

Morals and Legislation

 According to Bentham –
 Morality is an art, which directs the acting of men to produce the greatest possible
sum of good.
 The objective of the Legislature should be the same, but they differ in their extent.
 All actions come within morality and individuals are guided by this throughout their
lives. However, legislation cannot do this because –
 o Legislation has no direct influence over individuals, except through
punishments.
o There is a possibility of punishing the innocent, in an attempt to punish all
offenders.
 Bentham suggests that the legislators should not interfere with the personal interests
of individuals. He believes that a person is the best judge of themselves.
 Instead, legislators should look into those areas where a person’s actions create evil on
others and legislate there. In such a situation, the punishment will be effective.