The utilitarian philosophy of Jeremy Bentham that emphasizes the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people as the basis for morality and law.
From Bentham's surname plus -ism, a suffix meaning 'a system of beliefs or practice.' Emerged in the 19th century as a formal philosophical school of thought in British intellectual circles.
Benthamism revolutionized how governments think about laws—instead of asking 'what does tradition say?' they started asking 'does this actually make people happier?'—a radical idea that influenced modern social policy worldwide.
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