Abstract

The aim of the study is to consider the extent in which utilitarianism was influenced by Charles-Louis Montesquieu and Voltaire. These two philosophers were eminent personalities of the Enlightenment. The study will focus on Voltaire’s contribution to the theory of utility and on Montesquieu’s position on reform of criminal law, which aimed to prove the need to use common sense – one of the aspects coveted even among utilitarians. The study will attempt to prove the decisive influence the philosopher and the jurist had on the utilitarian concept of freewill and the reform of criminal law in work of Jeremy Bentham. The purpose of the presentation is to introduce the topic, which has been generally neglected and did not receive attention it certainly deserves.