Utilitarianism

Utilitarian philosophers (Bentham, Mill, and, to a certain extent, Hume), perhaps trying to refute the social contract theory of their (immediate) predecessors (Hobbes and Locke), suggested that states are natural to humans on account of a habit of obedience. According to Bentham, ‘When a number of persons (whom we may style subjects) are supposed to be in the habit of paying obedience to a person, or an assemblage of persons, of a known and certain description (whom we may call governor or governors) such persons altogether (subjects and governors) are said to be in a state of political society.’ Notwithstanding that what is described here is the government and not the state, apparently this habit of obedience will continue for as long as the government maximises the greatest happiness of the greatest number—essentially placing agreement on the basis of the relationship, and thus not moving substantially away from social contract theory.

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