Philosophy

I was dinking around this morning whilst having breakfast and stumbled across a quiz to determine what kind of philosopher I might be.  I love these goofy--though somehow compelling--little tests. This one was pretty basic, though question two about Desperate Housewives sort of threw me in terms of figuring out my philosophical bent.

Still.

Which Philosopher Are You?

 Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832)

My results after taking the quiz:  "You think that everyone should have the right to express their own opinions and be heard. When making ethical decisions, you always try to maximize happiness for the greatest number of people."

I really like being in tune with Jeremy Bentham.  He was a very cool and interesting guy--even if he does look surprisingly like Ben Franklin. He advocated for individual freedoms, like freedom of expression, equal rights for women, the right to divorce, decriminalizing homosexuality. He called for the abolition of slavery, the death penalty and physical punishment for children; he also vehemently supported animal rights and welfare.  And all of this over two hundred years ago.

Bentham is considered the father of utilitarianism, the belief that the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the measure of right and wrong.

Think about that for a minute, dear readers.

It's not a bad philosophy to have, not bad at all...