Yonghua Song
The 18th Conference of the International Society for Utilitarian Studies (ISUS Conference) opened today (23 July) at the University of Macau (UM), bringing together more than 100 experts and scholars from leading institutions worldwide, including the University of Oxford, Princeton University, National University of Singapore, University College London, and Peking University. The three-day event marks the first time that the ISUS Conference has been held in China, and is a key academic event celebrating UM’s 45th anniversary.
Speaking at the event, UM Rector Yonghua Song said that utilitarianism is concerned with ‘the greatest happiness of the greatest number’—a question that transcends cultures and ages and is relevant to every human being. He expressed hope that the conference will foster interdisciplinary academic exchange and provide valuable insights towards addressing the major challenges facing humanity today.
The conference, organised by the UM Faculty of Law, will feature plenary speeches from distinguished scholars, including: Philip Schofield, director of the Bentham Project at University College London and general editor of The Collected Works of Jeremy Bentham; Peter Singer, emeritus professor at Princeton University and VK Rajah Visiting Professor at National University of Singapore; Li Qiang, professor in the School of Government at Peking University; Roger Crisp, professor of moral philosophy at the University of Oxford and director of the Uehiro Oxford Institute; and Melissa Schwartzberg, professor of politics and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University.
During the conference, experts and scholars from China, the US, the UK, France, Italy, Japan, and Singapore will engage in parallel sessions on a wide range of topics, including Bentham’s logic and the philosophy of language, Mill’s philosophy, and utilitarian responses to 21st-century issues.
The conference will also celebrate the publication of Essays on Logic, Ethics, and Universal Grammar, the new volume of The Collected Works of Jeremy Bentham. The publication, edited by Philip Schofield and published by UCL Press in 2025, is expected to renew scholarly interest in Bentham’s contributions to logic and the philosophy of language.
The International Society for Utilitarian Studies is the world’s leading academic organisation in the field of utilitarian studies. It promotes interdisciplinary research on the history, philosophy, and contemporary applications of utilitarianism, covering philosophy, ethics, law, political science, economics, and related fields. Previous conferences have been hosted by University College London (UK), Luiss University (Italy), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany), the Catholic University of Lille (France), Yokohama National University (Japan), and New York University (US).
