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Edgeworth's exact and naturally weighted evolutionary utilitarianism and the happiness of Mr. Pongo

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  • Alberto Baccini

Abstract

This article challenges the conventional reading of Francis Ysidro Edgeworth by reconstructing his intellectual project of unifying the moral sciences through mathematics. The contribution he made in the first phase of his writing, culminating in \textit{Mathematical Psychics}, aimed to reconfigure utilitarianism as an exact science, grounding it in psychophysics and evolutionary biology. In order to solve the utilitarian problem of maximizing pleasure for a given set of sentient beings, he modeled individuals as ``quasi-Fechnerian'' functions, which incorporated their capacity for pleasure as determined by their place in the evolutionary order. The problem of maximization is solved by distributing means according to the individuals' capacity for pleasure. His radical anti-egalitarian conclusions did not stem from an abstract principle of justice, but from the necessity to maximize welfare among naturally unequal beings. This logic was applied not only to sentients of different evolutionary orders, such as Mr. Pongo, a famous gorilla, and humans, but also to human races, sexes, and classes. The system, in essence, uses the apparent neutrality of science to naturalize and justify pre-existing social hierarchies. This analysis reveals that the subsequent surgical removal of his utilitarianism by economists, starting with Schumpeter, while making his tools palatable, eviscerates his overarching philosophical system.

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  • Alberto Baccini, 2025. "Edgeworth's exact and naturally weighted evolutionary utilitarianism and the happiness of Mr. Pongo," Papers 2510.20854, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2510.20854
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Miren Maite Ansa Eceiza & Francisco Gómez García, 2019. "William Stanley Jevons and Francis Ysidro Edgeworth: Two Pioneers of Happiness Economics [William Stanley Jevons y Francis Ysidro Edgeworth: dos pioneros de la Economía de la Felicidad]," Iberian Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Dpto. Historia e Instituciones Económicas I., vol. 6(2), pages 175-187.
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