Jeremy Bentham was an 18th century English philosopher. His ideas about how we should live our lives was overshadowed by his eccentricity.

Before his death in 1832, Bentham left instructions that his body be dissected and permanently preserved in a likeness of his image.

His wishes were honored.

Following his death, his skeleton was preserved. His bones were covered in hay and dressed in his own clothes and a head made from wax adorned by his real hair was produced and placed upon his shoulders.

Bentham’s figure is on public display in front of the student center at the University College London. His real head had been on display there, too, but student pranks caused it to be removed and stored away.

His figure is seated in a chair as he had requested. In 2013, 181 years after his death, he was brought to a university board meeting, and when policy votes were taken, it’s on official record that Bentham was “present but not voting.”

As a philosopher, he is best known for inventing utilitarianism, an ethical theory stating that within any action that involves a moral decision, we should choose what maximizes the most happiness for the greater good and minimizes the amount of pain. His idea of “the greatest happiness for the greatest number” is the measure of right and wrong. He said we should apply this basic principle to our personal, public and political lives.

Bentham says that to choose what is right or wrong, we must ask ourselves who will suffer from what we decide. The greatest good for the greatest number should always be the foundation of how we live, even if it means rejecting personal goals that might cause consequences to others.

According to his theory, an emergency room doctor should treat patients with the highest chance of survival before those who have little chance to live. This reminds me of a moral dilemma I had once presented to my philosophy class in which they were asked to make a decision for the greater good of a particular scenario.

You’re a first responder to a car crash. Inside the vehicle is your wife. For some time, you’ve suspected that she’s been having an affair with a man who lives next door. The driver of the vehicle is the man whom you suspected. You quickly determine that your wife is more likely to die from her injuries than her lover.

Here’s the moral decision: Do you still try to save your wife, or do you attend to your neighbor who is likely to survive with your help? Bentham would say for the greater good you should save him because if you try to save your wife instead, they both could die.

The “greater good” is the principle for so much of how we are taught to live. Starting in kindergarten and all through our school years, the majority is prioritized over the individual. Laws in society are written for the protection of the masses. Speeding tickets, though issued as a safety measure for each driver, are given to keep everyone safe.

Yet, history is blazoned with individuals who have not conformed to common social practice, and some that rejected what was believed to be factual knowledge. The renowned astronomer Galileo disputed a worldwide belief about the Earth and sun. He was charged with heresy and found guilty by the Catholic Church when his studies stated that the Earth rotated around the sun and not the other way around, as written in the Bible.

Galileo was forced to live under house arrest for the remainder of his life. His discovery, however, has since been universally accepted by scientists.

Jesus put forth his ideas “for the greater good” against an empire that controlled its citizens by fear and punishment. Artist Vincent Van Gogh is now acclaimed and regarded as a genius, but during his day, he sold only one painting and his works were considered by large numbers of art critics not worthy to be displayed for the public good.

Then there are popular figures who delivered messages for the greater good despite living lives that were hypocritical to their public image. John Lennon is revered for his songs about peace and love, but he admitted to abusing women in his private life.

What seems best for the greater good can cause terrible consequences. The American Civil War abolished slavery upon the deaths of nearly 750,000 soldiers. Martin Luther King Jr.’s efforts provoked the Civil Rights Act, but he paid for his crusade with his life.

Bentham argued that the primary role of governments should be to work to promote happiness for most of its citizens rather than a privileged few.

According to the 2026 World Population Review, the United States ranks 24th in the list of happiest countries in the world, our lowest rank ever, with Germany, Mexico, Canada and England all ahead of us.

Our low score was because of poor overall health, widespread depression, substance abuse, racial and cultural discrimination, numbers of those living alone, numbers of incarcerated citizens and high anxiety levels in our youth stressed about their futures. Add to all that, Americans have lost faith in government leaders who they believe serve themselves rather than the population.

To improve our nation’s rank might require a “love thy neighbor for the greater good” purpose that is evident in the countries that rank above us on the list. When one person helps another person be happy, then that person will naturally pay it forward. Happiness would grow in numbers from the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam, our home sweet home.

It’s our country for we the people to save or to lose. What appears to be best for the greater good is that we drop the swords of hate and reach out our hands to form an unbreakable human chain of all Americans.

Email Rich Strack at richiesadie11@gmail.com