The early utilitarians

Utilitarian ideas are found in many philosophers down the centuries – from the ancient Greeks through to the leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment (especially David Hume and Adam Smith). However, utilitarianism only became clearly identified as a distinct philosophical school in the late eighteenth century. The three most prominent early utilitarians published their major works within a few years of one another: William Paley in 1785, Jeremy Bentham in 1789, and William Godwin in 1793. All three thinkers shared the values of the Enlightenment – a Europe-wide intellectual and cultural movement characterized by faith in human reason, opposition to arbitrary authority in law, government or religion, and belief in progress. Today Bentham is the most famous. At the time, however, he was much less well known than Paley and Godwin, who both reached a comparatively wide audience.

William Paley (1743–1805), a minister in the Church of England, offered utilitarianism as a way to determine the will of God. God, being benevolent, would want us all to act in the way that best promotes the general happiness. While he was radical on some issues, notably his fierce opposition to slavery, Paley's general tendency was conservative, especially regarding property. The best way to promote the general happiness was to follow the established laws of property.

In the nineteenth century, despite Paley's conservatism, utilitarianism was associated with political extremists and atheists.