Jeremy Bentham was an English philosopher and political radical. He is primarily known today for his moral philosophy, especially his principle of utilitarianism, which evaluates actions based upon their consequences. ... Happiness, according to Bentham, is thus a matter of experiencing pleasure and lack of pain. Utilitarianism is one of the best known and most influential moral theories. ... Utilitarians believe that the purpose of morality is to make life better by increasing the number of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) in the world and decreasing the number of bad things (such as pain and unhappiness).