Social Welfare in Economics: Benthamite Utilitarianism or Senian Egalitarianism?

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5902/1414650966620

Keywords:

Utilitarianism, Egalitarianism, Well-being

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to review the literature on how Jeremy Bentham's classic utilitarianism and Amartya Sen's egalitarianism understand well-being. Bentham, with his principle of utility, was one of the great influencers of what today constitutes the predominant welfare economics that comprehends well-being as a utility function and conceives the individual with an innate calculating reason. Amartya Sen, critic of this thought and following Smith’s essays on human motivation, presents the capability approach with the aim of discussing well-being and facing problems such as inequality, guarantee of rights and poverty.

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Published

2022-04-20 — Updated on 2022-04-26

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Moraes, M. da M., & Marin, S. R. (2022). Social Welfare in Economics: Benthamite Utilitarianism or Senian Egalitarianism?. Economia E Desenvolvimento, 33, e5. https://doi.org/10.5902/1414650966620 (Original work published April 20, 2022)

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Vol. 33 (2021)

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