Scrooge and Bentham
Reader comment on: Why Giving Makes You Happy

Submitted by George J. Leonard, Dec 29, 2007 03:58

Nineteenth century scholars will be happy to get some recent data to back up Dickens, not that he has ever needed help. His thought experiment, A Christmas Carol, creates the perfect Benthamite utilitarian, Scrooge, and asks us if his life seems worth living. When we give our assent to his proposition that Scrooge finds even more joy in giving than in taking (or perhaps, that the one completes the other?) it deals quite a body blow not only to Bentham but to later power-trippers like Nietzsche, Ayn Rand, and Foucault. (Yes, they belong together.) Merry Christmas, GJ Leonard, Prof of Interdisciplinary Humanities, San Francisco State University.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
	curt	Feb 11, 2008 14:01
This short atricle leads one (if one is willing to be lead) that giving leads to happiness. Could it not... [MORE]	Carl C	Feb 4, 2008 20:43
Various surveys of happiness have shown that Mexicans, for all of their problems, are among the happiest people on earth.... [MORE]	Ken Emmond	Jan 2, 2008 21:16
>>43% of the American adults who gave blood two to three times during the year said they were very happy... [MORE]	ariel	Jan 2, 2008 12:25
One of our featured books at www.parentcaresolution.com and at www.americanpetcross.com is a book called The Gratitude Principle by Dan Sullivan... [MORE]	Daniel Taylor	Dec 31, 2007 20:12
Thanking God or a person for a kind gesture, gift of time or wisdom, I always feel better. Being thankful... [MORE]	Kay	Dec 31, 2007 10:19
My own experience vouches for the truth of the major claims of this article. Giving blesses those who give as... [MORE]	Shalom Freedman	Dec 30, 2007 07:38
"You don't do good because you'll go to heaven if you do and hell if you don't. Doing good is... [MORE]	Bren Clayton	Dec 29, 2007 16:20
It is better to give than to receive. It is better not to boast about it - people might doubt... [MORE]	Karen Ways	Dec 29, 2007 11:55
	josag	Dec 29, 2007 10:41
Nineteenth century scholars will be happy to get some recent data to back up Dickens, not that he has ever...	George J. Leonard	Dec 29, 2007 03:58
↔	dave	Dec 31, 2007 09:04
↔ Any kind of giving, love, creative work,help,increasement,of joy is always boost your moral, increase your self easteem, your responsibility.you work... [MORE]	Ramesh Raghuvanshi	Dec 29, 2007 02:07
↔	Tony	Dec 28, 2007 18:39