Principles of Morals and

34/Jeremy Bentham
purity of those pleasures.
Thus much for pleasure and pain, happiness and unhappiness, in
general. We come now to consider the several particular kinds of pain
and pleasure.

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Chapter V: Pleasures and Pains, Their Kinds
I. Having represented what belongs to all sorts of pleasures and pains
alike, we come now to exhibit, each by itself, the several sorts of pains
and pleasures. Pains and pleasures may be called by one general word,
interesting perceptions. Interesting perceptions are either simple or com-
plex. The simple ones are those which cannot any one of them be re-
solved into more: complex are those which are resolvable into divers
simple ones. A complex interesting perception may accordingly be com-
posed either, 1. Of pleasures alone: 2. Of pains alone: or, 3. Of a plea-
sure or pleasures, and a pain or pains together. What determines a lot of
pleasure, for example, to be regarded as one complex pleasure, rather
than as divers simple ones, is the nature of the exciting cause. Whatever
pleasures are excited all at once by the action of the same cause, are apt
to be looked upon as constituting all together but one pleasure.
II. The several simple pleasures of which human nature is suscep-
tible, seem to be as follows: 1. The pleasures of sense. 2. The pleasures
of wealth. 3. The pleasures of skill. 4. The pleasures of amity. 5. The
pleasures of a good name. 6. The pleasures of power. 7. The pleasures
of piety. 8. The pleasures of benevolence. 9. The pleasures of malevo-
lence. 10. The pleasures of memory. 11. The pleasures of imagination.
12. The pleasures of expectation. 13. The pleasures dependent on asso-
ciation. 14. The pleasures of relief.
III. The several simple pains seem to be as follows: 1. The pains of
privation. 2. The pains of the senses. 3. The pains of awkwardness. 4.
The pains of enmity. 5. The pains of an ill name. 6. The pains of piety.
7. The pains of benevolence. 8. The pains of malevolence. 9. The pains
of the memory. 10. The pains of the imagination. 11. The pains of ex-

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36/Jeremy Bentham
pectation. 12. The pains dependent on association.
IV. 1. The pleasures of sense seem to be as follows: 1. The plea-
sures of the taste or palate; including whatever pleasures are experi-
enced in satisfying the appetites of hunger and thirst. 2. The pleasure of
intoxication. 3. The pleasures of the organ of smelling. 4. The pleasures
of the touch. 5. The simple pleasures of the ear; independent of associa-
tion. 6. The simple pleasures of the eye; independent of association. 7.
The pleasure of the sexual sense. 8. The pleasure of health: or, the inter-
nal pleasureable feeling or flow of spirits (as it is called), which accom-
panies a state of full health and vigour; especially at times of moderate
bodily exertion. 9. The pleasures of novelty: or, the pleasures derived
from the gratification of the appetite of curiosity, by the application of
new objects to any of the senses.
V. 2. By the pleasures of wealth may be meant those pleasures which
a man is apt to derive from the consciousness of possessing any article
or articles which stand in the list of instruments of enjoyment or secu-
rity, and more particularly at the time of his first acquiring them; at
which time the pleasure may be styled a pleasure of gain or a pleasure of
acquisition: at other times a pleasure of possession.
3. The pleasures of skill, as exercised upon particular objects, are
those which accompany the application of such particular instruments
of enjoyment to their uses, as cannot be so applied without a greater or
less share of difficulty or exertion.
VI. 4. The pleasures of amity, or self-recommendation, are the plea-
sures that may accompany the persuasion of a man’s being in the acqui-
sition or the possession of the good-will of such or such assignable per-
son or persons in particular: or, as the phrase is, of being upon good
terms with him or them: and as a fruit of it, of his being in a way to have
the benefit of their spontaneous and gratuitous services.
VII. 5. The pleasures of a good name are the pleasures that accom-
pany the persuasion of a man’s being in the acquisition or the posses-
sion of the good-will of the world about him; that is, of such members of
society as he is likely to have concerns with; and as a means of it, either
their love or their esteem, or both: and as a fruit of it, of his being in the
way to have the benefit of their spontaneous and gratuitous services.
These may likewise be called the pleasures of good repute, the pleasures
of honour, or the pleasures of the moral sanction.
VIII. 6. The pleasures of power are the pleasures that accompany
the persuasion of a man’s being in a condition to dispose people, by

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Principles of Morals and Legislation/37
means of their hopes and fears, to give him the benefit of their services:
that is, by the hope of some service, or by the fear of some disservice,
that he may be in the way to render them.
IX. 7. The pleasures of piety are the pleasures that accompany the
belief of a man’s being in the acquisition or in possession of the good-
will or favour of the Supreme Being: and as a fruit of it, of his being in
a way of enjoying pleasures to be received by God’s special appoint-
ment, either in this life, or in a life to come. These may also be called the
pleasures of religion, the pleasures of a religious disposition, or the plea-
sures of the religious sanction.
X. 8. The pleasures of benevolence are the pleasures resulting from
the view of any pleasures supposed to be possessed by the beings who
may be the objects of benevolence; to wit, the sensitive beings we are
acquainted with; under which are commonly included, 1. The Supreme
Being. 2. Human beings. 3. Other animals. These may also be called the
pleasures of good-will, the pleasures of sympathy, or the pleasures of
the benevolent or social affections.
XI. 9. The pleasures of malevolence are the pleasures resulting from
the view of any pain supposed to be suffered by the beings who may
become the objects of malevolence: to wit, 1. Human beings. 2. Other
animals. These may also be styled the pleasures of ill-will, the pleasures
of the irascible appetite, the pleasures of antipathy, or the pleasures of
the malevolent or dissocial affections.
XII. 10. The pleasures of the memory are the pleasures which, after
having enjoyed such and such pleasures, or even in some case after
having suffered such and such pains, a man will now and then experi-
ence, at recollecting them exactly in the order and in the circumstances
in which they were actually enjoyed or suffered. These derivative plea-
sures may of course be distinguished into as many species as there are
of original perceptions, from whence they may be copied. They may
also be styled pleasures of simple recollection.
XIII. 11. The pleasures of the imagination are the pleasures which
may be derived from the contemplation of any such pleasures as may
happen to be suggested by the memory, but in a different order, and
accompanied by different groups of circumstances. These may accord-
ingly be referred to any one of the three cardinal points of time, present,
past, or future. It is evident they may admit of as many distinctions as
those of the former class.
XIV. 12. The pleasures of expectation are the pleasures that result

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