Revelatory Ethics

Revelatory Ethics

The Moral Wrongness of Sexually Provocative Attire in Public Spaces Based on Jeremy Bentham’s Utilitarianism

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Faculty of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Akhoond Khoraasaani Center for Islamic Graduate Studies.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Kalam, Baqir al-Uloom University, Qom, Iran
10.22034/re.2026.575047.2155
Abstract
This paper argues for the moral wrongness of wearing sexually provocative attire in public spaces, based on the theoretical framework of Jeremy Bentham's hedonistic utilitarianism. Bentham, one of the most prominent classical utilitarians, posits that an action is morally right if its consequences maximize pleasure and minimize pain. Employing the seven criteria Bentham proposes for measuring pleasure and pain—intensity, duration, certainty, propinquity, fecundity, purity, and extent—this article evaluates the pleasures and pains generated by sexually provocative attire in public spaces. It should be noted that the paper does not aim to defend Bentham's theory itself; rather, it claims that, within this theoretical framework, wearing such attire in public is morally wrong. In assessing the attendant pleasures and pains, the argument draws upon consequences supported by international scientific research. The findings indicate that the overall quantum of pain resulting from sexually provocative attire in public spaces significantly outweighs the pleasure it produces. Consequently, according to Bentham's hedonistic utilitarianism, wearing sexually provocative attire in public spaces is morally wrong.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 23 May 2026