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The Panopticon
Utilitarianism
 Utilitarianism is the ethical doctrine that the moral
worth of an action is solely determined by its
contribution to overall utility.
 Doctrine that the useful is the good; especially as
elaborated by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart
Mill; the aim was said to be the greatest happiness
for the greatest number
Origins of the Panopticon
 The Panopticon was originally conceived by
Jeremy Bentham, a utilitarian philosopher.
 It is designed in the late 18th century as the
ideal modern prison.
 Comes from the words observe (-opticon)
and prisoner (pan-)
Inside the Panopticon…
 In a central tower, a guard is able to observe
all the prisoners
 Prisoners are unable to see each other
 Prisoners are unable to see the central
tower
 Thus, prisoners are unable to tell if a guard
is present or not
Implications
 The Panopticon serves as an ideal model for
surveillance
 Theoretically, prisoners never know if they are
being watched, but that it is possible they are
always watched
 Prisoners will always act as they would if they are
being watched
 Which raises the question: if all of these conditions
are satisfied, is the surveillance necessary?
Modern Uses
 He sees you when you're sleeping,
He knows when you're awake.
He knows if you've been bad or good,
So be good for goodness sake!