Programme de recherche benthamien et économie politique britannique. Deux rendez-vous manqués

Christian Schmidt

Revue Économique, 1988, vol. 39, issue 4, 809-840

Abstract: [fre] Bentham in research program and british political economy : two misunderstandings. . The topic of this research is to investigate the relationship between the utilitarian program imagined by J. Bentham and the british Political Economy during two important moments of its history, the classical age and the beginning of marginalism. Starting from a study of Bentham's works, the paper compares Bentham's views with J. Mil!'s and D. Ricardo's economic contributions on one hand, Jevons' and J. Y. Edgeworth's writtings on the other. The discussion leads to the conclusion of the independance of the Political Economy vis a vis Bentham's System. But in both cases the justificative given for this independance are different. Bentham's investi­gation has not the same aim as classical Political Economy. As for utilitarian calculus, it does not accept the postulate of egoistic individualism which is the basis of the marginalistic economie calculation. Whatever the two view points both express the will of economies not to get involved with ethics. [eng] Bentham in research program and british political economy : two misunderstandings. . The topic of this research is to investigate the relationship between the utilitarian program imagined by J. Bentham and the british Political Economy during two important moments of its history, the classical age and the beginning of marginalism. Starting from a study of Bentham's works, the paper compares Bentham's views with J. Mil!'s and D. Ricardo's economic contributions on one hand, Jevons' and J. Y. Edgeworth's writtings on the other. The discussion leads to the conclusion of the independance of the Political Economy vis a vis Bentham's System. But in both cases the justificative given for this independance are different. Bentham's investi­gation has not the same aim as classical Political Economy. As for utilitarian calculus, it does not accept the postulate of egoistic individualism which is the basis of the marginalistic economie calculation. Whatever the two view points both express the will of economies not to get involved with ethics.

Date: 1988
Note: DOI:10.3406/reco.1988.409097
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