JEREMY BENTHAM’S UTILITY THEORY AND ITS INFLUENCE ON ANALYTICAL LEGAL POSITIVISM

Abstract

The article deals with the question of the philosophical foundations of the theory of utilitarianism and its influence on the development of analytical jurisprudence. The author notes that the theory of utility was first fully formulated in the views of Jeremy Bentham, and lies in the fact that the powerful subject in the formation of a mandatory regulatory system must create real effective models of behaviour and grounds for the actions of subjects, useful for society as a whole. In many respects, this thesis in the current onto-epistemological conditions became a positive response to the emerging theories of natural law and significantly influenced the development of British legal positivism. At the same time, the question of the content of useful and effective law at the stages of formation and development of analytical positivism was perceived in different contexts. The classical theories of John Austin and Hans Kelsen emphasised the formal legal aspect of law, associated with the construction of an optimal enforcement system. Subsequently, in the theory of H. L. A. Hart, who revolutionised the British legal philosophy tremendously, the rational-utilitarian aspect was perceived and integrated into the concept of law. The author concludes that the theory of utility has become, in fact, in Western legal positivism, an alternative to natural law axiology, focusing on rational arguments for the conscious adoption of the normative system if it is effective.